GAMES  FOR  CHILDREN'S 
DEVELOPMENT 


SINGLE  LINE  BLOCK  BUILDING 


GAMES  FOR  CHILDREN'S 
DEVELOPMENT 


BY 

HILDA  A.  WRIGHTSON 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 

HENRY  H.  GODDARD,  Ph.D. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

THE  McCANN  COMPANY 

186-192  West  4th  Street 


4\1 

^ 


Copyright,  1918.  by 
THE  McCANN  COMPANY 

All  Rights  Reserved 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  training  of  the  physical  co-ordina- 
tions of  children  is  most  naturally  accom- 
lished  through  the  medium  of  games. 

Miss  Wrightson  has  brought  together  in 
convenient  form  a  large  number  of  games 
especially  adapted  to  accomplish  these  re- 
sults. Her  long  experience  with  normal 
and  sub-normal  children  is  a  guarantee  of 
their  usefulness  and  efficacy  for  the  purpose. 

It  should  be  fully  appreciated  by  teachers, 
parents  and  superintendents  that  the  playing 
of  these  games  is  not  "mere  play,"  but  defin- 
ite training  of  the  best  kind.  In  many  cases 
there  is  little  else  to  be  done. 

The  teacher  should  select  such  games  as 
are  most  interesting  to  her  special  group  and 
practice  these  until  the  children  are  reason- 
ably proficient  in  them  or  until  they  prove 
uninteresting. 

The  teacher  familiar  only  witK  normal 
minds  will  perhaps  think  some  of  the  games 
here  described  of  no  value.  It  is  always  hard 


INTRODUCTION 

4 

for  the  more  intelligent  to  understand  the 
less  intelligent,  for  normal  teachers  to  un- 
derstand sub-normal  children.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  the  joy  of  accomplishment 
is  one  of  the  greatest  joys  of  life  for  all 
grades  of  intelligence.  It  is  the  fact  that  the 
list  includes  games  adapted  to  the  simplest 
minds  which  constitutes  one  of  its  excellen- 
cies. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  these  games 
not  only  develop  co-ordination  and  attention ; 
manners,  morals,  self-control,  altruism,  pa- 
tience and  many  more  desirable  qualities  are 
involved.  What  more  can  education  do 
than  develop  to  the  limit  of  the  individual's 
capacity  these  qualities  which,  possessed 
even  in  a  small  degree,  will  help  to  make  him 
a  social  rather  than  an  anti-social  being! 

Inasmuch  as  normal  children  are  much  like 
feeble-minded  children  OF  THE  SAME  MENTAL  AGE, 
though  with  more  spontaneity r,  it  is  clear  that 
these  games  will  be  of  equal  value  to  young  nor- 
mal children  and  will  have  great  value  in  helping 
them  to  develop  their  latent  powers  and  to  work 
off  their  natural  energy  in  profitable  ways. 

HENRY  H.  GODDARD,  PH.D. 


vi 


PRACTICAL  TRAINING  HINTS 

THE  games  and  exercises  in  this  book 
were  written  for  use  among  mothers 
and  teachers  of  normal  and  sub-normal 
children,  the  object  being   to  -help    develop 
muscular  control  and  to  quicken  the  sense 
perceptions.    The  training  should  commence 
when  the  child  is  three  years  of  age.     The 
following  instructions  should  be  observed: 

1.  Each  one  of  the  exercises  should  be 
put  before  the  child  in  a  spirit  of  play. 

2.  Absolute  simplicity  in  tlie  training 
is  essential.     The  manner  in  which  a  game 
is  played  is  of  more  importance  than  the 
game  itself.     A  simple  game  or  exercise 
taught  in  a  complex  manner  will  produce 
a  confusion  of  ideas. 

3.  Aim  to  produce  one  idea  at  a  time 
in  the  mind  of  the  child. 

4.  In  teaching  both  normal  and  sub- 
normal   children    the    personality   of   the 
teacher    plays    an    important    part.     She 


PRACTICAL   TRAINING  HINTS 

should  be  patient  cheerful  and  optimistic, 
always  ready  with  a  word  of  encourage- 
ment when  the  child  fails  to  produce  the 
desired  results;  thorough  in  her  methods 
and  with  keen  power  to  observe.  The 
mind  of  the  teacher  reacts  upon  the  mind 
of  the  child:  "Education  is  the  process  by 
which  one  mind  forms  another  mind  and 
one  heart  another  heart." 

5.  The    principal    weakness    in    most 
children  is  their  inability  to  concentrate, 
and  it  is  only  by  fixed  methods  of  simple 
work,  elimination  of  all  confusion,  and  the 
conviction  of  the  teacher  that  good  results 
must  emanate  from  her  training,  that  she 
can  develop  and  strengthen  concentration 
in  the  child.  The  mode  of  procedure  must 
not  vary;  children  should  be  lined  up  in  the 
same  way,  material  of  the  same  color  used, 
and  diagrams  drawn  to  the  same  dimen- 
sions each  time  the  game  or  exercise  is 
used.     Should   the   smallest  alteration  be 
made  in  these  details,  it  will  produce  a 
confusion  of  ideas  in  the  child's  mind  and 
successful  training  will  not  result. 

6.  Make  all  questions  and  answers  as 

viii 


PRACTICAL  TRAINING  HINTS 

concrete  and  brief  as  possible,  avoid  super- 
fluous detail  and  abstract  ideas,  for  these 
tend  to  create  confusion  in  the  mind  of 
the  child. 

7.  The  signal  given  for  starting  a  game 
should  be  brief,  as,  "Are  you  ready?"  fol- 
lowed by  the  word  "Go !"  said  sharply  and 
clearly.     A  signal  with  too  many  words  is 
confusing.     Always  use  the  same  form  of 
signal  in  starting  a  game.     Should  this  be 
changed  the  game  will  not  start  success- 
fully, for  the  child's  mind  will  be  centered 
upon  that  change  and  he  will  lose  the  all- 
important  idea,  e.g.,  the  start  of  the  game. 
A  game  unsuccessfully  started  is  a  failure 
throughout. 

8.  During  exercises  the  teacher  should 
observe  the  reaction  and  should  the  chil- 
dren show  signs  of  fatiguet  or  loss  of  in- 
terest, an  exercise  should  be  immediately 
changed. 

9.  Make  all  exercises  as  attractive  as 
possible.  Aim  to  have  an  air  of  peace  and 
tranquility  in  the  schoolroom;  tension  in 
the  slightest  degree  is  disastrous  to  the 
training.  The  schoolroom  should  be  made 

iz 


PRACTICAL  TRAINING  HINTS 

a  pleasure-ground  for  the  child.  Bear  in 
mind  the  best  discipline  always  attends 
the  most  successful  play. 

10.  It  is  not  advisable  to  keep  a  child 
for  longer  than  one  hour  at  a  session.     In 
a  longer  session  it  will  be  noticed  the  child 
becomes  depressed  or  restless  and  power 
of   concentration   weakens.      During   the 
session  a  child  should    not    be    kept    too 
long  at  one  exercise;  from  four  to  fifteen 
minutes  is  sufficient  for  any  of  the  exer- 
cises.    A  game  played  too  many  consecu- 
tive times  in  an  effort  to  perfect  it,  loses 
its  object. 

11.  Two  inactive  exercises  should  not 
follow  each  other  consecutively. 

12.  In  teaching  rhymes  and  songs,  in- 
troduce simple  action.     It  will  help  to  de- 
velop sense  of  rhythm  and  aid  the  memory 
to  a  marked  degree.  The  "Mother  Goose" 
rhymes  enclosed  herein  have  been  chosen 
for  their  rhythmic  value  and  extreme  sim- 
plicity. 

14.  In  drawing  diagrams  on  a  polished 
wood  floor,  better  results  may  be  obtained 
by  moistening  the  chalk. 


PRACTICAL  TRAINING  HINTS 

The  material  in  some  of  these  exercises  is 
being  used  to  great  advantage  in  the  training 
rooms  of  Walter  E.  Fernald,  M.D.,  Massa- 
chusetts School  for  Feeble-Minded,  and 
George  L.  Wallace,  Wrentham  State  School, 
Mass.,  to  whom  the  author  is  indebted. 

The  material  used  in  these  exercises  and 
games  is  very;  simple.  Bean  bags  should  be 
made  five  inches  square,  of  bright-colored 
cloth  of  heavy  texture,  and  filled  with  small, 
hard  beans.  The  wooden  blocks  should  be 
eight  inches  in  length,  and  one  and  a  half 
inches  on  each  side;  the  corners  should  be 
sharp  so  that  they  may  be  stood  on  end  with- 
out difficulty.  Rubber  balls,  medicine  balls, 
and  baseballs  should  be  regulation  size. 
HILDA  A.  WRIGHTSON. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

SINGLE  LINE  BLOCK  BUILDING     .         .  Frontispiece 

FACING     PAGE 

WALKING  EXERCISE — I  ...  .59 

CIRCLE  HOOP  GAME     .  .         :.,         .  .  83 

ROPE  JUMPING     .         .  .         :.,         .     ,  .  92 

LEAP  FROG  .,        :.         .  .  100 

BLOCK  AND  BASKET  GAME  ...  .  124 

BALL  THROW        .....  .  175 

COMPETITIVE  Bow     ^G  .  205 


GAMES  FOR  CHILDREN'S 
DEVELOPMENT 


GAMES     FOR 


BEAN  BAG  TOSS 

MATERIAL 

Shallow  box,  bean  bags. 

Children  sit  in  a  circle  on  the  floor,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  feet  from  each  other. 

Place  the  box  in  the  center  of  circle.  Give 
each  child  a  bean  bag. 

Have  the  children  each  throw  their  bean 
bag,  in  turn,  endeavoring  to  get  it  into  the 
box  in  centre  of  the  circle. 

NOTE. — This  game  is  especially  adapted 
for  crippled  children  and  those  unable  to 
take  part  in  active  games. 

OBJECT 

Train  eye  and  hand;  to  stimulate  play 
spirit. 


FOR    CHILDREN 


COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red,  blue,  and  yellow 
blocks. 

Children  sit  in  semi-circle.  Give  each 
child  one  block. 

Make  three  chalk  circles  in  a  row  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  class;  place  a  red  block  in 
one,  a  blue  block  in  the  second,  and  a  yellow 
block  in  the  third. 

Call  upon  children  to  come  in  turn  and 
place  their  blocks  in  circles  calling  for  like 
colors. 

Do  not  allow  second  child  to  play  until 
first  child  has  returned  to  her  seat,  thereby 
avoiding  confusion.  Do  not  call  the  colors 
by  name  at  this  period  of  training;  children 
will  match  them  more  successfully  by  sense 
of  sight  alone. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  color  sense  and  concentration. 


18 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"PAT-A-CAKE" 

Have  class  seated  in  half  circle  on  small 
chairs. 

Teach  children  the  following  rhyme,  say- 
ing the  words  slowly  and  distinctly  so  that 
the  children  may  more  readily  understand, 
and  have  them  clap  their  hands  in  rhythm 
to  the  words ; 

"Pat-a-cake,  pat-a-cake,  baker's  man. 
Bake  me  a  cake  as  fast  as  you  can. 
Pat  it,  and  prick  it,  and  mark  it  with  T, 
Put  it  in  the  oven  for  Tommy  and  me." 

OBJECT 

Memory;  rhythm;  increase  vocabulary. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMMAND    AND    CONCENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

Soap,  spoon,  cup,  doll,  ball,  comb,  tooth- 
brush, or  any  article  with  which  the  child 
is  apt  to  come  in  contact  in  daily  life. 

The  teacher  should  place  these  articles  in 
a  row  on  the  table,  and  then  call  upon  one 
of  the  children  to  give  her  the  toothbrush. 
Say  the  words  slowly  and  distinctly  that  the 
child  may  understand  exactly  what  is 
wanted.  When  the  child  has  handed  the 
toothbrush  to  the  teacher,  ask  for  each  ar- 
ticle in  turn. 

If  the  child  is  unable  to  concentrate  for 
sufficient  length  of  time  to  pick  up  the  de- 
sired article,  do  not  try  to  force  his  atten- 
tion; send  the  child  to  his  seat  with  a  word 
of  encouragement,  and  try  the  exercise  each 
succeeding  day  until  slowly  but  surely  the 
child's  attention  will  become  strong  enough 
to  master  the  exercise. 


2O 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


MEMORY   AND   COMMAND 

Teacher  calls  upon  three  children  to 
stand  on  chalk  line  made  for  that  purpose 
in  front  of  class.  Call  names  distinctly, 
but  do  not  make  a  pause  between  each  name. 
The  children  whose  names  are  called  will 
leave  their  seats  and  stand  side  by  side  on 
chalk  line. 

If  three  names  are  too  confusing  for  the 
children  to  remember,  teacher  should  use 
only  two  to  start  the  exercise. 

As  the  children  improve  the  numbers  of 
names  may  be  slowly  increased,  always 
bearing  in  mind  it  is  better  to  have 
the  exercise  too  simple  rather  than  too  com- 
plicated for  the  child. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  attention;  command. 


21 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

BALL  THROW 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Children  stand  in  group  at  one  end  of.  the 
room. 

Teacher  throws  medicine  ball  into  their 
midst,  the  child  catching  the  ball  throws  it 
back  to  teacher,  who  will  immediately  repeat 
the  exercise.  Encourage  children  to  run  after 
the  ball  when  it  falls  to  the  ground.  Do  not 
call  upon  any  particular  child  to  catch  the 
ball;  by  throwing  it  in  their  midst  and  let- 
ting those  catch  it  who  can,  the  children 
will  become  more  alert. 

Should  a  child  be  very  slow,  it  is  well  to 
call  upon  that  child  in  particular  to  catch. 

OBJECT 

Training  of  eye  and  hand ;  attention ;  spon- 
taneous activity. 


22 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"ONE,   TWO,   THREE,   FOUR,   FIVE" 

Have  the  children  seated.  Teach  the 
following  rhyme,  saying  the  words  slowly 
and  distinctly^: 

"One,  two,  three,  four,  five; 
I  caught  a  fish  alive, 
Why  did  you  let  it  go? 
Because  it  bit  my  finger  so." 

The  children  should  clap  their  hands  while 
repeating  the  above  words. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  rhythm;  increase  vocabulary. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

BASEBALL  BOWLING 

MATERIAL 

Two  dozen  bright  colored  blocks,  six 
colored  baseballs.  Colors:  Red,  blue  and 
yellow. 

Draw  a  chalk  circle  three  feet  in  diameter ; 
make  a  starting  line  fifteen  feet  from  the 
circle. 

Place  the  blocks  on  end  inside  the  circle, 
not  too  closely  together. 

Call  upon  a  child,  have  her  stand  on  start- 
ing line  and  bowl  the  balls  one  at  a  time, 
endeavoring  to  knock  down  as  many  blocks 
as  possible. 

Continue  the  exercise  in  this  way  having 
the  children  play  in  turn. 

Choose  one  child  to  pick  up  the  fallen 
blocks,  and  another  to  pick  up  scattered 
balls. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  sureness  of  aim;  attention;  na- 
tural activity. 


24 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


SILENCE  PERIOD 

It  is  very  important  that  a  period  of  silence 
be  maintained  from  three  to  five  minutes  dur- 
ing one  hour  classes. 

Have  the  children  sit  with  arms  folded 
and  knees  close  together,  each  child  erect 
in  his  seat.  Have  perfect  quiet  in  the  class- 
room. 

Do  not  allow  the  silence  to  become  tense 
and  strained,  the  object  of  the  exercise  is 
tranquillity  and  rest. 

Teachers  will  find  after  a  period  of  silence 
children  lose  their  restlessness  and  concen- 
trate more  readily. 

OBJECT 

Rest;  attention;  tranquillity. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BLOCK  PLACING 

MATERIAL 

Wooden  blocks  of  one  color,  according  to 
number  of  children  playing. 

Make  a  line  of  small  chalk  crosses  on  the 
floor  twelve  inches  between  each  cross ;  draw 
a  starting  line  parallel  with  crosses,  eighteen 
feet  between. 

Give  each  child  a  block  and  have  them 
stand  in  position  on  starting  line. 

At  a  given  signal  have  children  run  and 
place  their  blocks  each  on  one  of  the  crosses; 
they  then  run  back  to  starting  line. 

The  blocks  must  be  placed  on  end  upon 
the  crosses;  should  a  block  fall,  the  child 
must  place  it  upright  again. 

This  exercise  may  be  repeated  three  or  four 
consecutive  times. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  to  stimulate 
the  spirit  of  play;  voluntary  activity. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COLOR  EXERCISE 

MATERIAL 

Six  bright  colored  balls — two  red,  two 
blue,  two  yellow. 

Place  three  balls  on  the  table,  one  of  eacK 
color,  teacher  holding  the  duplicates. 

Hold  up  the  red  ball  that  all  may  see  it,  and 
call  upon  A  to  pick  out  ball  of  same  color 
on  the  table.  When  A  has  picked  out  red 
ball,  teacher  should  then  hold  up  blue  ball, 
and  call  upon  B  to  find  duplicate.  Do  not 
call  the  balls  by  color  name.  The  child  will 
develop  color  sense  more  quickly  if  name  of 
color  is  omitted  at  this  period  of  training. 

OBJECT 

Color  sense ;  attention ;  independent 
thought. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


ROLLING  ROUNDERS 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Children  sit  in  a  circle,  five  feet  of  space 
between  each  player. 

The  ball  must  be  rolled  from  one  player 
to  the  next,  all  the  way  round  the  circle; 
choose  one  player,  to  run  after  the  ball  when 
it  rolls  away  from  the  circle. 

For  variety  the  ball  may  also  Ee  rolled 
across  the  circle. 

This  game  is  especially  beneficial  for 
crippled  children,  and  tKose  unable  to  take 
part  in  active  games. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  play  spirit. 


28 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMMAND  AND  IMITATION 

Have  children  quietly  seated  in  class. 
Teacher  should  give  the  following  com- 
mands, carrying  out  the  action  of  each  one 
for  children  to  imitate. 

1.  Every  child  point  to  his  eyes. 

2.  Every  child  point  to  his  nose. 

3.  Every  child  point  to  his  mouth. 

4.  Every  child  point. to  his  ears. 

5.  Every  child  put  out  his  hands. 

6.  Every  child  put  out  his  feet. 

Do  not  insist  that  children  obey  these  com- 
mands; observation  will  soon  create  a  desire 
to  imitate  the  actions  of  the  other  children 
in  class. 

Ask  no  questions  regarding  the  use  of  the 
above  parts  of  the  body  at  this  period  of 
training. 

OBJECT 

Command;  attention;  imitation. 


29 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"HICKORY,   DICKORY,   DOCK" 

Have  the  children  seated  in  half  circle  on 
small  chairs. 

Teach  the  following  rhyme,  speaking  each 
word  slowly  and  distinctly: 

"Hickory,  dickory,  dock, 
The  mouse  ran  up  the  clock; 
The  clock  struck  one, 
The  mouse  ran  down, 
Hickory,  dickory,  dock." 

Children  should  clap  their  hands  while  re- 
peating the  rhyme. 

OBJECT 

Idea  association;  increase  vocabulary; 
memory. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


MEDICINE   BALL  THROW 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Children  stand  in  semi-circle. 

Teacher  should  throw  ball  to  a  child  in 
class,  the  child  then  throws  the  ball  back  to 
teacher.  The  ball  is  again  thrown  to  an- 
other child  in  class,  the  game  continuing  in 
this  way,  teacher  throwing  the  ball  and  chil- 
dren returning  it. 

Do  not  play  in  rotation ;  the  children's  at- 
tention will  be  held  better  if  ball  is  thrown 
unexpectedly  to  different  parts  of  the  class. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  to  develop  play  spirit;  stimulate 
activity. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

MARCHING  AND   CLAPPING 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  semi-circle. 

Teacher  should  give  commands  clearly  and 
with  precision. 

Children  should  keep  rhythmic  time  in 
marching  and  clapping. 

.1  "All  stand;  heels  together;  arms 
down." 

2.  "All  turn  to  the  door  and  mark  time." 

3.  "Forward  march,  and  clap  hands." 

4.  "Arms  down;  mark  time;  halt;  one, 
two." 

5.  "Mark  time." 

6.  "Forward  march,  slowly;  clap  hands." 
slowly." 

7.  "March  quickly;  ciap  hands  quickly." 

8.  "Arms  down;  mark  time." 

9.  "Halt;  one,  two." 

Have  children  "mark  time"  before  start- 
ing to  march.  By  doing  this  marching  is 
more  rhythmic  and  confusion  is  eliminated. 

Note. — Do  not  use  the  expression  "right" 
and  "left"  until  children  are  well  advanced. 

OBJECT 

Attention;     discipline;     motor     control, 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


SHOE-LACING  EXERCISE 

Draw  a  straight  chalk  line  on  floor  and 
have  children  stand  with  feet  together  on 
the  line. 

At  command,  children  should  sit  on  floor 
and  take  off  one  shoe. 

It  is  advisable  for  the  teacher  to  unfasten 
the  bow  on  each  child's  shoe  before  the  exer- 
cise begins,  as  they  are  apt  to  pull  their 
laces  into  innumerable  knots,  thereby  caus- 
ing much  confusion. 

When  each  child  has  removed  one  shoe, 
teacher  may  tell  them  all  to  put  shoes  on 
again,  and  see  who  can  lace  his  first. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  develop  natural  energy;  co- 
ordination. 


33 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BEAN  BAG  THROW 

MATERIAL 

Three  bean  bags,  red,  blue*  and  yellow  in 
color. 

Teacher  should  draw  a  chalk  circle  on  floor 
three  feet  in  diameter,  and  make  a  starting 
line  twelve  feet  from  circle. 

Have  child  stand  on  starting  line  and 
throw  each  bean  bag,  endeavoring  to  get 
them  into  the  chalked  circle. 

This  game  may  be  made  competitive  by 
having  two  circles  and  calling  upon  two  chil- 
dren to  play  at  the  same  time ;  in  such  cases 
have  red  bean  bags  used  in  one  circle  and 
blue  bean  bags  in  the  other. 

OBJECT 

Training  eye  and  hand;  to  develop  play 
spirit. 


34 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

COLOR  AND  FORM  PUZZLES— I 

Twelve-inch  pieces  of  thin  wood,  painted 
in  bright  shades  of  red,  blue  and  yellow. 
Forms:  Circle,  square,  and  oblong,  each 
being  divided  irregularly  into  two  sections. 


Give  each  child  four  pieces;  for  example, 
two  pieces  of  red  which,  when  correctly 
placed  together  form  one  red  circle,  and  two 
pieces  of  blue  comprising  one  blue  square. 
The  next  child  may  have  two  yellow  pieces 
forming  a  yellow  circle,  and  two.  red  pieces 
forming  a  red  oblong. 

Children  should  be  seated  at  a  low  table 
for  this  exercise. 

OBJECT 

Color;  form;  concentration. 

35  ?  - 


GAMES     FOR     CHIL.DREN 


TIPTOE   EXERCISE 

Have  the  children  sit  quiet;  let  no  noise  be 
heard  in  the  room;  maintain  this  silence  for 
two  minutes  before  starting  exercise. 

Teacher  calls  upon  A  to  perform;  he 
should  stand  up  with  arms  folded  and  walk 
on  tiptoe  around  teacher's  chair  (or  to  a 
given  point)  and  back  to  his  seat. 

Teacher  continues  the  exercise  in  this  way, 
encouraging  each  child  to  do  just  a  little 
better  than  the  preceding  child. 

Four  minutes  is  sufficient  length  of  time 
for  this  exercise. 

OBJECT 

Rest;  discipline;  motor  control;  tran- 
quillity. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


PULLING    EXERCISE 

MATERIAL 

A  strong  rope  about  twelve  feet  in  length. 

Choose  six  players  as  evenly  matched  in 
size  and  weight  as  possible. 

Make  two  starting  lines  four  feet  apart 
on  which  the  leader  of  each  side  will  stand. 

At  a  given  signal  the  three  players  on  one 
side  should  pull  in  an  opposite  direction  from 
the  three  players  on  the  other  side. 

When  this  exercise  is  started  some  of  the 
children  will  be  apt  to  let  go  of  the  rope 
when  they  feel  others  pulling,  and  some  will 
pull  aimlessly,  neither  giving  help  to  one  side 
or  the  other.  Do  not  try  to  force  the  child 
to  pull  the  rope  in  the  right  way.  Contin- 
ual use  of  this  exercise  will  bring  about  de- 
sired results. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  muscular  force;  concentra- 
tion; voluntary  effort. 


37 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COMMAND    AND    CONCENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

Red  ball;  blue  bean  bag. 

Place  the  above  articles  on  table  and  call 
upon  child  to  perform. 

Teacher  gives  commands  in  the  following 
order,  speaking  slowly  and  distinctly: 

Pick  up  ball  and  hold  it. 
Pick  up  bean  bag  and  hold  it. 
Put  down  ball. 
Put  down  bean  bag. 
Pick  up  ball  and  hold  it. 
Put  down  ball  and  pick  up  bean  bag  and 
hold  it. 

Put  down  bean  bag. 

Teacher  should  pause  between  each  com- 
mand, that  the  child  may  not  become  con- 
fused. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


GUESSING  GAME 

Have  the  class  seated  in  a  semi-circle. 
Teacher  should  stand  in  front  of  the  class 
and  imitate  the  action  of  cleaning  teeth.  Ask 
the  question  "What  am  I  doing  ?" 

Teacher  then  imitates  the  action  of  scrub- 
bing floor,  brushing  hair,  washing  face,  or 
any  simple  action  the  child  may  recognize. 

Having  repeated  this  exercise  on  several 
occasions,  call  upon  a  child  to  stand  in  front 
of  the  class  and  reproduce  an  action  she 
may  remember.  The  child  in  class,  guessing 
the  correct  answer  to  the  action,  should  then 
take  Her  place,  and  in  this  way  the  game 
continues. 

Teacher  should  make  the  actions  more  dif- 
ficult to  recognize  as  the  children  improve 
in  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Association  of  ideas;  initiative;  independ- 
ent thought. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

BALL   SCRAMBLE 

MATERIAL 

Three  dozen  bright  colored  baseballs; 
one  dozen  red,  one  dozen  blue  and  one  dozen 
yellow.  Shallow  box  to  hold  balls. 

Children  stand  in  an  informal  group  at 
one  end  of  the  room. 

Teacher  should  throw  the  balls  into  the 
air,  letting  them  fall  to  the  floor  some  dis- 
tance from  the  children,  who  immediately 
run  to  pick  up  the  fallen  balls. 

Do  not  correct  the  children  if  they  laugh 
loudly  and  make  a  noise,  for  to  arouse  them 
from  depression  and  sluggishness  is  one  ob- 
ject of  the  exercise. 

When  the  balls  are  picked  up  the  chil- 
dren should  plate  them  in  the  box.  They 
then  take  their  place  for  another  scramble. 

This  exercise  may  be  repeated  from  three 
to  six  times  in  succession. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  attention;  natural  energy. 


40 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


PAPER  PICK  UP 

Have  the  children  seated  in  half-circle  on 
small  chairs. 

Tear  or  cut  a  newspaper  into  pieces  not 
less  than  two  inches  in  length. 

Place  a  waste  basket  at  hand;  scatter  the 
paper  on  the  floor  in  front  of  the  class. 

On  command  the  children  should  leave 
their  seats,  pick  up  the  paper,  and  put  it 
into  the  basket. 

When  all  the  paper  is  picked  up,  teacher 
should  give  the  command  for  children  to 
return  to  their  seats. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  command;  develop  useful 
activity. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BELL  CIRCLE 

MATERIAL 

Six  bright  colored  baseballs;  one  bell. 

Children  sit  in  a  circle  on  the  floor,  a  small 
space  between  each  child.  Use  an  active 
child  for  running  after  balls  that  go  astray. 

Place  the  bell  in  the  center  of  the  circle 
and  give  six  of  the  children  each  a  baseball. 

The  children  should  play  in  order,  each 
one  rolling  his  ball  and  endeavoring  to  hit 
the  bell  and  make  it  ring. 

This  game  is  very  good  for  crippled  chil- 
dren, and  those  unable  to  take  part  in  run- 
ning games. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  play  spirit;  attention;  volun- 
tary effort. 


42 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


SIT   AND   STAND 

The  class  should  be  seated  in  a  half-circle 
on  kindergarten  chairs. 

Children  sit  erect,  arms  folded,  feet  to- 
gether. 

At  a  given  signal  all  children  stand ;  there 
must  be  no  scuffling  of  feet;  no  movements 
of  the  arms  or  confusion  of  any  kind;  all 
stand  promptly.  Signal  will  then  be  given 
for  the  children  to  sit;  this  must  also  be 
done  with  precision. 

This  exercise  may  be  repeated  four  or  five 
consecutive  times. 

Note. — To  vary  exercise  children  may 
clasp  their  hands  tightly  behind  their  backs, 
each  hand  grasping  an  elbow.  The  exer- 
cise is  more  difficult  to  perform  with  arms 
folded  in  this  manner,  and  calls  for  more  de- 
cided control  of  the  muscles. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  discipline. 


43 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


SENSE  OF  DIRECTION 

Place  four  chairs  in  a  straight  row;  call 
upon  four  children  to  sit  in  these  chairs; 
tell  each  child  to  notice  the  chair  in  which 
she  is  sitting  and  the  child  next  to  whom 
she  is  sitting. 

On  signal  have  children  get  up  from 
chairs  and  walk  the  whole  way  around  the 
room.  When  they  reach  their  chairs  again, 
each  child  must  sit  in  precisely  the  same 
chair  she  had  when  exercise  began. 

As  children  advance  in  this  exercise  the 
number  of  chairs  may  be  increased,  always 
taking  care  lest  the  exercise  become  too  com- 
plex. 

OBJECT 

Direction;  independent  thought;  natural 
effort. 


44 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

HOOP    GAME 

MATERIAL 

A  wooden  hoop  four  feet  in  diameter, 
bound  in  bright  blue  or  red;  six  bean  bags, 
three  red  and  three  blue. 

Have  two  of  the  pupils  hold  hoop  in  a 
vertical  position  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
children  meanwhile  standing  in  a  group  on 
one  side  of  hoop  at  a  distance  of  twelve  feet, 
teacher  standing  on  opposite  side. 

Teacher  then  throws  bean  bags  one  at  a 
time  through  the  hoop  to  the  children  on  the 
opposite  side.  When  children  have  all  the 
bean  bags  on  their  side  they  should  throw 
them  back  through  hoop  to  teacher,  and 
game  will  be  repeated. 

The  weaker  and  more  deficient  children 
should  be  given  special  attention  in  these 
group  games  and  exercises,  or  they  will  be 
pushed  to  the  wall  by  their  stronger  com- 
panions and  derive  no  benefit  whatever. 

OBJECT 

To  stimulate  play  spirit;  train  hand  and 
eye;  attention. 

45 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

FLAG  MARCHING 

MATERIAL 

Twelve-inch  flags,  one  drum. 

Line  up  children  by  twos  according  to 
height.  Give  each  child  a  flag,  and  have  him 
carry  it  over  his  right  shoulder. 

Teacher  should  give  the  command  "Mark 
time"  and  make  a  single  beat  on  the  drum 
for  every  step  of  the  right  foot,  counting* 
one,  two;  one,  two;  right  foot  down  on  the 
word  one,  which  must  be  emphasized. 

The  command  to  "Halt ;  one,  two,"  should 
then  be  given  and  the  drum  cease  beating 
with  the  command. 

After  a  brief  rest,  again  give  the  command, 
"Mark  time,"  followed  by,  "Forward 
march."  The  drum  should  immediately 
change  to  brisk  march  time  in  response  to 
the  command,  "Forward  march"  and  the 
children  should  marcK  around  tKe  room, 
keeping  step  to  the  music. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  rhythm;  discipline. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"I   LOVE   LITTLE   PUSSY" 

Have  children  seated  in  a   half  circle   on 
kindergarten  chairs. 

Teach    the    following   rhyme    saying    the 
words  slowly  and  distinctly: 

"I  love  little  pussy  her  coat  is  so  warm; 
And  if  I  don't  hurt  her,  she'll  do  me  no 

harm; 

So  I'll  not  pull  her  tail,  nor  drive  her  away, 
But  pussy  and  I  very  gently  will  play." 

OBJECT 

Memory;  idea  association;  increase  vocab- 
ulary. 


47 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


WHO   IS   MISSING? 

Have  the  class  seated  in  a  semi-circle. 

Call  upon  A  and  blindfold  him.  Have  B 
leave  the  class  quietly  and  hide.  The  blinder 
is  then  taken  from  A's  eyes,  he  should  look 
around  the  class,  endeavoring  to  name  the 
missing  one. 

Should  he  make  a  guess  that  is  not  cor- 
rect, the  children  in  class  all  shake  their 
heads;  should  he  guess  correctly  they  clap 
their  hands. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way,  children 
performing  in  their  turn. 

OBJECT 

Observation ;  concentration;  independent 
thought. 


48 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


SIGHT    EXERCISE 

MATERIAL 

Articles  of  every-day  use,  pointer. 

Teacher  should  place  a  number  of  articles 
on  the  table.  Use  only  articles  with  which 
the  child  is  familiar,  e.g.,  spoon,  cup,  brush; 
soap;  ball. 

When  the  exercise  is  started  use  only  six 
articles  and  as  the  child  progresses,  slowly 
increase  number. 

Call  a  child  from  class;  teacher  will  point 
out  different  articles  on  the  table;  have  the 
child  answer  the  names  of  articles  as  quick- 
ly as  possible. 

Should  the  child  be  unable  to  talk,  teach- 
er should  call  names  of  different  articles  and 
have  child  touch  them  with  pointer  as  they 
are  called. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  memory;  sight. 


49 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


CHAIR   RACE 

Place  six  chairs  in  a  straight  line,  with 
backs  to  the  wall.  Chalk  a  starting  line 
eighteen  feet  from  chairs,  and  call  upon 
seven  children  to  stand  on  it. 

At  a  given  signal  children  should  run  and 
each  child  sit  on  a  chair;  the  odd  player  not 
fortunate  enough  to  get  a  chair  is  out. 

Take  one  chair  away  and  repeat  game. 
The  game  continues  until  one  chair  is  left 
and  two  children  to  run. 

The  child  successful  in  getting  that  chair 
wins  the  race. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  muscular  control;  attention; 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


CIRCLE    BLIND    MAN 

Children  form  a  circle  with  hands  joined. 

Choose  five  players  for  the  centre  of  cir- 
cle, put  a  blinder  on  one  of  the  five. 

On  a  given  signal  the  blindfolded  player  en- 
deavors to  catch  one  of  the  other  players  in 
the  centre.  When  one  child  is  caught  the 
five  children  take  their  places  in  the  circle 
and  five  others  are  chosen  for  the  centre. 

Should  there  be  a  large  number  of  chil- 
dren playing,  more  than  four  may  be  chosen 
for  the  centre  to  dodge  the  blindman. 

No  player  is  allowed  to  run  out  of  the  ring. 

OBJECT 

Spirit  of  play,  initiative. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


NAMING  ARTICLES 

MATERIAL 

Small  articles  of  every-day  use,  such  as: 
spoon,  cup  doll,  ball,  book,  brush;  pointer. 

Place  the  articles  on  a  table  in  front  of  the 
class. 

When  the  exercise  is  started  use  six  ar- 
ticles; as  the  children  progress,  gradually 
increase  the  number. 

Call  a  child  from  the  class.  Teacher  point 
out  different  articles  on  the  table.  Have  the 
child  repeat  the  name  of  each  article  as  it  is 
touched  by  pointer. 

Should  the  child  be  unable  to  talk,  teacher 
calls  the  names  of  the  different  articles  on 
the  table,  and  the  child  should  touch  them 
with  the  pointer  as  they  are  called. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  concentration;  sight  training. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

"BAA-BAA  BLACK  SHEEP" 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  circle,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  feet  between  each  child. 

Choose  two  children  for  the  centre  of  the 
circle,  one  to  represent  "Little  Boy"  and  the 
other  "Black  Sheep." 

"Little  Boy"  should  stand  with  his  hands 
to  his  eyes  in  an  attitude  of  crying,  and 
"Black  Sheep"  should  kneel  on  the  floor  next 
to  "Little  Boy." 

Teach  the  following  verse: 

"Baa-Baa  black  sheep,  have  you  any  wool? 
Yes  sir,  yes  sir,  three  bags  full; 
One  for  the  master,  one  for  the  dame, 
But  none  for  the  little  boy 
Who  cries  in  the  lane." 

Have  the  children  in  the  circle  clap  while 
repeating  the  above  verse,  until  they  come 
to  "But  none  for  the  little  boy,"  they  then 
move  to  the  centre  of  the  circle  and  clap 
their  hands  close  to  "Little  Boy"  and 
"Black  Sheep,"  returning  to  original  position 
at  the  close  of  the  rhyme. 

"Little  Boy"  and  "Black  SKeep"  remain  in 
tKe  same  position  througEout  the  rhyme. 

53 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

BUTTONING  EXERCISE 

MATERIAL 

Button  strips  should  be  made  of  bright 
blue  and  bright  red  cloth  eighteen  inches  in 
length  and  two  inches  in  width.  Have  six 
buttons  on  one  strip,  and  six  buttonholes  on 
another  strip  of  corresponding  color. 

Make  a  straight  chalk  line  on  the  floor. 
Have  children  stand  side  by  side  on  the  line. 

Give  each  child  two  strips,  of  correspond- 
ing color,  one  with  buttons  and  one  with 
buttonholes. 

Direct  children  to  start  at  the  end  of  each 
strip  and  put  the  buttons  into  the  button- 
holes. 

Do  not  continue  this  exercise  for  longer 
than  eight  minutes. 

At  another  session  the  children  may  be 
given  the  button  strips  already  fastened,  and 
be  taught  to  unfasten  it. 

OBJECT 

To  co-ordinate  hand  and  brain;  to  create 
the  desire  and  the  ability  to  dress;  useful 
activity. 

54 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DIRECTION    AND    COMMAND 

MATERIAL 

Cup,  spoon,  hair  brush,  or  any  article 
familiar  to  the  child. 

Teacher  should  place  above  articles  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  room;  for  instance,  put 
the  cup  on  a  chair;  the  spoon  on  the  table; 
the  hair  brush  on  another  chair.  Each  article 
must  be  in  such  a  position  it  can  easily  be 
seen  by  the  child. 

Call  upon  A  to  bring  the  cup  to  teacher; 
call  upon  B  to  bring  the  spoon ;  continue  the 
exercise  in  this  way,  calling  upon  different 
children  to  perform  until  all  the  articles  have 
been  brought  to  teacher. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  useful  activity. 


55 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


VISUALIZATION 

Have  class  seated  in  semi-circle. 

Place  four  different  articles  in  a  row  on 
the  table;  these  articles  must  be  objects 
with  which  the  child  is  familiar,  such  as: 
soap,  cup,  spoon,  comb.  Call  upon  a  child 
and  ask  him  to  look  at  the  articles  on  the 
table  then  blindfold  his  eyes  and  remove  the 
cup  from  the  table ;  take  bandage  from  child's 
eyes  and  ask  him  to  name  the  missing  article. 

Should  the  child  be  unable  to  visualize  as 
many  as  four  articles,  use  three  to  start  the 
exercise.  When  children  can  readily  visual- 
ize four,  slowly  increase  number  of  articles. 

OBJECT 

Memory ;  concentration ;  visual  training. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


PLAY  DAYS 

The  following  rhyme  will  be  found  use- 
ful in  aiding  the  children  to  remember  the 
days  of  the  week,  and  the  order  in  which 
they  come: 

"How  many  days  has  my  baby  to  play? 
Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday. 
Tuesday  Wednesday,  Thursday,   Friday, 
Saturday,  Sunday,  Monday." 

The  children  should  repeat  the  above 
•hyme  slowly,  clapping  their  hands  in  rhythm 
while  doing  so. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  attention;  increase  vocabulary. 


57 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

SINGLE  LINE  BLOCK  STANDING 

MATERIAL 

Equal   number   of   red,   blue   and   yellow 

blocks. 
/ 

Lin^  up  children  in  single  file,  according 
to  height.  Chalk  floor  as  per  diagram.  Give 
each  child  a  block. 


20  Feet  3  I  x  x  x  x  x  x 

w  I 
«  I 


The  leader  stands  on  starting  line.  At 
a  given  signal  he  will  run  and  place  his  block 
on  end  in  the  circle  after  which  he  will  run 
to  rear  of  line,  and  second  child  will  take  his 
turn. 

Should  a  child  knock  other  blocks  down 
while  placing  his,  he  must  stand  them  up 
again  before  taking  his  place  at  rear  of  line. 

Continue  until  each  child  has  placed  his 
block. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  muscular  control;  natural  ef- 
fort; spirit  of  play. 

58 


WALKING  EXERCISE— I 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


WALKING    EXERCISE.— I 

Teacher  should  chalk  a  straight  line  along 
the  floor. 

1.  Have  child  walk  line  slowly,  taking 
care  to  place  both  heel  and  toe  on  line  at 
every  step. 

2.  Walk  line  with  hands  placed  firmly 
on  hips  and  elbows  out. 

3.  Walk  line  with  hands  clasping  el- 
bows at  back. 

4.  Walk   line   with   hands    clasped   in 
nape  of  neck;  elbows  out. 

5.  Walk  line  with  arms  outstretched  on 
level    with    shoulders,    fingers    straight, 
palms  down. 

•ef- 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  co-ordination. 


59 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMMAND  AND  OBSERVATION 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  half  circle 
on  small  chairs. 

Teacher  should  call  upon  A  to  stand  in 
one  corner  of  the  room :  do  not  designate  as 
to  which  part  of  the  room  is  the  corner;  call 
on  B  to  go  to  another  corner;  tell  C  and  D  to 
go  to  the  other  two  corners;  tell  E  to  stand 
in  the  middle  of  the  room. 

When  this  is  accomplished,  send  the  five 
children  to  their  seats  and  choose  another 
five  to  repeat  the  exercise. 

OBJECT 

Observation ;  command. 


60 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


BROAD  JUMP 

Teacher  should  draw  two  parallel  lines 
with  eight  inches  of  space  between.  Should 
this  game  be  played  out  of  doors,  long  sticks 
will  readily  take  the  place  of  chalk  lines. 
Line  up  children  in  single  file  according  to 
height,  and  at  a  given  signal  first  player  runs 
and  jumps  over  the  parallel  lines;  the  other 
players  follow  in  their  turn. 

Players  should  line  up  each  time  they  have 
jumped,  and  stand  in  position  until  last  play- 
er has  jumped. 

Having  failed  twice  in  succession  a  player 
should  take  his  seat  until  the  end  of  the 
game. 

Teacher  should  widen  jumping-space 
about  two  inches  each  time,  or  according  to 
the  ability  of  players. 

To  gain  correct  results  this  exercise  must 
be  carried  out  with  method  and  precision. 

OBJECT 

Motor  force;  concentration;  spontaneous 
activitv. 


61 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


EXERCISE  IN  BALANCE 

MATERIAL 

Spoon  and  ball. 

Chalk  two  parallel  lines  on  the  floor 
eighteen  feet  apart. 

Have  child  balance  ball  in  spoon  and  walk 
from  starting  line  to  the  opposite  line,  and 
back  to  starting  line.  No  effort  at  speed  is 
necessary. 

This  exercise  may  be  varied  by  making  it 
competitive.  Have  two  children  walk  at  the 
same  time,  each  carrying  a  spoon  and  balanc- 
ing a  ball.  The  child  that  gets  back  to  start- 
ing line  first  wins  the  game. 

OBJECT 
Sense  of  balance;  concentration. 


62 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"LITTLE  JACK  HORNER" 

Have  the  children  seated  quietly. 

Call  upon  one  child,  preferably  the  small- 
est, to  represent  Jack;  he  should  sit  in  a  cor- 
ner where  he  can  readily  be  seen  by  the  class. 
Have  Jack  hold  something  in  his  lap  to  repre- 
sent a  pie.  He  should  imitate  the  action  of 
eating  while  the  rhyme  is  being  repeated  by 
the  rest  of  the  class : 

"Little  Jack  Horner 

Sat  in  a  corner; 

Eating  Christmas  pie. 

He  put  in  his  thumb, 

And  pulled  out  a  plum, 

And  said  what  a  good  boy  am 'I." 

The  children  should  point  to  Jack  with 
their  right  arms  outstretched,  until  they 
come  to  the  word  "pie."  They  should  then 
imitate  the  action  of  putting  their  fingers  into 
a  pie.  On  the  last  line  all  clap  their  hands 
merrily;  Jack  joining  in  with  the  rest. 

OBJECT 

Idea  association;  imaginative  activity;  in- 
crease vocabulary. 

63 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


SINGLE  LINE  MEDICINE  BALL 
BOWLING 

MATERIAL 

One  medicine  ball,  two  dozen  red  blocks. 

Draw  a  chalk  circle  three  feet  in  diameter; 
make  a  starting  line  fifteen  feet  from  the  cir- 
cle. 

Stand  the  blocks  on  end  closely  together  in 
the  chalk  circle.  Call  upon  a  child,  have  her 
stand  on  the  starting  line,  and  bowl  the  ball 
in  an  effort  to  knock  down  as  many  of  the 
blocks  as  possible  in  one  throw.  Choose  one 
child  to  replace  the  fallen  blocks. 

Continue  the  exercise  in  this  way  until 
each  child  has  played  in  turn. 

OBJECT 

Attention ;  motor  control ;  play  spirit. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


HEARING  AND  CONCENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

A  small  clock. 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  half  circle  on 
kindergarten  chairs. 

For  this  exercise  absolute  quiet  must  be 
maintained  in  the  room. 

Teacher  should  blindfold  a  child;  place  the 
clock  anywhere  in  the  room,  some  distance 
from  the  child,  then  tell  the  child  to  go  and 
find  the  clock.  The  child  will  listen  for  the 
ticking  of  the  clock,  and  guided  by  her  sense 
of  hearing,  should  go  to  the  place  where  it 
is. 

Repeat  the  exercise,  calling  upon  children 
in  turn  to  perform. 

OBJECT 

Rest;  hearing. 


GAMES  FOR  CHILDREN 


BEAN     BAG    THROW 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  bean  bags. 

Have  children  stand  in  two  straight  lines, 
with  leaders  on  starting  lines,  as  in  diagram. 

Give  each  child  a  bean  bag,  one  side  hold- 
ing red  and  one  side  blue. 

At  a  given  signal  the  two  leaders  throw 
their  bean  bags,  endeavoring  to  get  them 
into  the  chalk  circles;  they  then  run  to  the 
rear  of  their  lines,  and  second  players  throw 
their  bean  bags  and  also  run  to  rear  of  lines. 
The  game  continues  in  this  way  until  all 
bean  bags  have  been  played ;  the  side  having 
the  greater  number  of  bean  bags  in  the  circle 
wins. 

OBJECT 

Spirit  of  competitive  play;  attention; 
useful  activity. 


66 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


— 20  Feet — 


X   X  X  X  X  X 


£ 

OQ 


— 20  Feet — 


X  X  X  X  X  X 


67 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"HUSH-A-BYE" 

Have  children  stand  in  a  semi-circle,  they 
should  fold  their  arms  and  rock  them  with 
a  rhythmic  movement  while  repeating  the 
following  words: 

"Hush-a-bye  baby,  on  the  tree  top; 

When  the  wind  blows    the   cradle   will 
rock; 

When  the  bough  breaks  the  cradle  will 
fall; 

Down  will  come  baby,  bough,   cradle 
and  all." 

OBJECT 

Imaginative  activity;  memory. 


68 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


SINGLE  FILE  MARCHING 

MATERIAL 

Twelve-inch  flags. 

Line  up  children  according  to  height  in 
single  file.  Give  each  child  a  flag. 

A  simple,  well-accented  march  should  be 
played  on  the  piano  during  this  exercise. 

Have  children  march  around  the  room 
twice,  then  march  diagonally  from  one  cor- 
ner to  the  other.  They  should  then  march 
in  a  small  circle,  then  around  the  room  again 
and  finally  come  to  position  in  a  straight  line 
in  the  center  of  'room. 

Teacher  then  gives  the  command  "Face 
front,"  followed  by  "Present  flags,"  at  which, 
children  will  hold  out  their  flags,  handles 
foremost,  for  teacher  to  collect. 

Flags  should  be  presented  and  collected 
in  this  manner  after  each  exercise  in  which 
flags  are  used. 

Victrola  music  may  be  substituted  for 
piano  music,  provided  the  march  time  be  well 
accented. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  discipline;  rhythm. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"MISTRESS  MARY" 

Teacher  speaks  slowly  and  distinctly  while 
repeating  the  following  rhyme,  that  the  chil- 
dren may  readily  understand  the  words : 

"Mistress  Mary,  quite  contrary, 
How  does  your  garden  grow? 
With  silver  bells  and  cockle  shells 
And  little  girls  all  in  a  row." 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  circle,  with 
two  feet  distance  between  each  child;  have 
one  child  stand  in  the  centre  of  the  circle 
to  represent  Mistress  Mary. 

On  the  first  two  lines  the  children  in  the 
circle  bow  slowly  to  the  child  in  the  centre ; 
on  the  third  line  they  should  imitate  the 
action  of  ringing  a  bell.  On  the  last  line  they 
all  join  hands  and  skip  around, 

OBJECT 

Memory;  imaginative  activity;  increase 
vocabulary. 


70 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


SINGLE  LINE  HOOP  GAME 

MATERIAL 

A  light  wooden  hoop,  three  and  a  half  feet 
in  diameter;  red  bean  bags. 

Line  up  players  in  a  single  file;  give  each 
player  a  bean  bag. 

Have  two  players  hold  hoop  in  a  horizon- 
tal position  about  four  feet  from  the  ground. 
Make  a  chalk  starting  line  ten  feet  from  hoop 
on  which  leaders  will  stand. 

At  a  given  signal  leader  should  throw  hi§ 
bean  bag  through  the  hoop  and  then  run  to 
the  rear  of  the  line ;  each'  player  will  throw  in 
turn,  the  game  continuing  until  all  bean  bags 
have  been  played  and  leader  is  once  more  on 
starting  line. 

OBJECT 

Accuracy  of  aim;  to  develop  play  spirit; 
attention. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


FLAT  RELAY  RACE 

Place  children  in  two  lines  of  equal  num- 
ber, according  to  height.  Leaders  stand  on 
starting  lines. 

Leader  on  one  side  will  hold  a  red  bean 
bag,  and  leader  on  the  other  side  a  blue  bean 
bag. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leaders  start  off  and 
run  around  chalk  marks  and  back  to  start- 
ing line.  As  they  pass  second  runner  they 
give  him  the  bean  bag;  on  receiving  same, 
he  immediately  runs  as  the  leader  did,  and  on 
his  way  to  the  rear  of  line  hands  the  bean 
bag  to  the  next  child. 

The  side  having  its  leader  back  on  starting 
line  first  wins  the  race. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  stimulate 
activity. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


— 10  Feet — 


f 


73 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


SCHOOLROOM  OBSERVATION 

MATERIAL 

Five  inch  squares  of  glass,  wood,  paper, 
iron,  tin  and  cloth;  pointer. 

Teacher  hands  the  piece  of  glass  to  A, 
giving  him  also  a  pointer.  Tell  him  to 
point  out  anything  in  the  room  that  is  made 
of  glass,  the  substance  which  he  holds  in  his 
hand. 

Call  B  and  hand  him  a  piece  of  wood ;  ask 
him  to  point  out  anything  he  can  find  in  the 
room  made  of  that  substance. 

Continue  the  exercise  in  this  manner. 

OBJECT 

To  stimulate  observation ;  idea  association; 
independent  thought. 


74 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BIRD-FLYING  EXERCISE 

Have  children  perfectly  quiet. 

Call  upon  A  to  imitate  a  bird. 

A  must  run  on  tiptoes,  with  arms  out- 
stretched and  waving  slightly  to  imitate  a 
bird's  wings.  She  must  go  the  whole  way 
around  the  room  and  back  to  her  seat,  it 
being  done  with  the  least  possible  noise. 

For  variation,  the  teacher  may  call  upon 
three  birds  to  fly  together.  They  should 
follow  one  chosen  for  leader,  and  fly  quietly 
around  the  room  and  back  to  their  seats. 

Have  children  repeat  rhyme  or  song  per- 
taining to  birds  during  an  interval  in  this 
exercise  and  they  will  more  readily  con- 
ceive the  idea  of  imitating  a  bird. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  rest;  active  imagina- 
tion. 


75 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

ACTION    SONG 

Tune:  "The  Night  before  the  Fourth." 
Have  class  sit  in  half-circle  on  kindergar- 
ten chairs,  and  interpret  the  different  actions 
as  they  occur  in  the  song. 

I 

We'll  all  stand  up  together, 
We'll  all  stand  up  together, 
We'll  all  stand  up  together, 
As  all  good  children  do. 

2 

We'll  all  clap  hands  together. 

3 
We'll  all  keep  step  together. 

4 
We'll  all  march  round  together. 

5 
We'll  all  join  hands  together. 

6 
We'll  all  sit  down  together. 

There  is  a  good  swing  to  the  tune  and 
action  of  this  song  which  will  stimulate  in- 
terest and  sense  of  rhythm  in  the  child. 

76 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


DAYS   OF   WEEK.— I 

Have  the  class  seated  in  a  half  circle  on,' 
kindergarten  chairs. 

Teach  children  to  say  the  seven  days  of  the 
week  with  the  assistance  of  their  hands,  tick- 
ing off  one  finger  for  each  d.ay.  Have  them 
say  each  syllable  very  slowly  and  rhythmical- 
ly, as  Sun-day,  Mon-day,  Tues-day,  Wednes- 
day, Thurs-day,  Fri-day  and  Satur-day.  This 
exercise  must  be  practiced  slowly  and  delib- 
erately to  gain  the  desired  result,  and  chil- 
dren will  learn  it  much  the  same  way  as  a 
nursery  rhyme. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  stimulate  thought 


77 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DAYS  OF  WEEK.— II 

After  having  taught  children  to  memorize 
days  of  week  with  the  assistance  of  their  fin- 
gers, teacher  should  use  the  power  of  asso- 
ciation of  ideas  to  teach  children  to  know  the 
name  of  each  day  as  it  comes. 

For  example:  Sunday  is  the  day  on  which 
we  go  to  Sunday  School.  Monday  is  the  day 
on  which  mother  does  the  washing;  and  so 
continue  using  the  association  of  the  un- 
varying routine  of  the  child's  life  to  impress 
upon  the  memory  the  name  of  each  day  in  its 
correct  order. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  stimulate  thought;  association 
of  ideas. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

RUNNING  EXERCISE 

After  a  passive  exercise  children  often 
become  restless;  in  such  cases,  this  exercise 
will  be  found  beneficial. 

Commands  to  be  given  with  precision,  e.g., 
"children  stand,"  "feet  together,"  "heads  up," 
"arms  double."  "are  you  ready?"  "run!" 

Before  this  exercise  can  be  successfully 
carried  out,  the  child  must  be  taught  to  rec- 
ognize each  command. 

On  the  signal,  "arms  double,"  children 
clench  fists  tightly  and  double  arms  up  so 
that  the  fore  arm  is  horizontal  with  the  el- 
bow; keep  elbows  well  in  to  the  sides. 

On  the  signal,  "run!"  children  remain  in 
position  and  perform  the  movements  of  run- 
ning. 

The  shoulders  must  be  kept  well  back,  and 
feet  raised  to  the  knees  at  each  running  step. 

This  exercise  may  be  varied  by  allowing 
the  children  to  run  in  a  circle  for  three 
minutes,  afterward  quietly  taking  their  seats. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  discipline;  attention. 


79 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"BABY    DOLLY" 

Teach  the  following  words,  having  the 
children  clap  rhythmically  while  repeating 
them: 

"Hush,  baby,  my  dolly,  I  pray  you  don't  cry, 
And  I'll  give  you  some  bread  and  some  milk 

bye-and-bye ; 
Or,  perhaps  you  like  custard,  or,  maybe,  a 

tart; 
Then  to  either  you're  welcome,  with  all  my 

heart." 

Have  the  words  repeated  slowly  and  care- 
fully enunciated  to  correct  speech  defects. 

OBJECT 

Increase  vocabulary;  stimulate  thought. 


80 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DIRECTION   AND   ATTENTION 

Have  children  seated  in  class. 

Teacher  call  upon  A,  tell  him  to  walk 
to  door  and  remain  there.  Call  upon  B  to 
walk  to  window  and  stay  there.  Call  C  to 
walk  to  table  and  remain. 

As  many  as  twelve  children  may  be  called 
upon  to  go  in  different  directions ;  they  must 
remain  in  position  until  told  to  go  to  their 
seats.  Teacher  should  call  upon  each  child 
separately,  when  sending  them  to  their  seats. 

This  exercise  may  be  simplified  by  calling 
upon  only  three  children,  and  gradually  in- 
creasing the  number. 

OBJECT 

Observation;  sense  of  direction;  attention; 
command. 


81 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


"TWINKLE,  TWINKLE,  LITTLE 
STAR" 

Teach  the  following  poem,  saying  the 
words  slowly  and  distinctly: 

"Twinkle,  twinkle  little  star, 
How  I  wonder  what  you  are. 
Up  above  the  world  so  high, 
Like  a  diamond  in  the  sky." 

It  is  well  to  question  children  regarding 
the  above  poem,  to  determine  as  to  whether 
they  understand  the  different  words  and  ex- 
pressions. For  example,  "Where  is  the 
sky?"  "Who  has  seen  a  star?"  "When  do  the 
stars  shine?"  In  this  manner  we  find  poetry 
a  valuable  help  in  strengthening  the  power 
of  association  of  ideas. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  language;  association  of  ideas. 


82 


CIRCLE  HQQP  GAME 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

CIRCLE  HOOP  GAME 

MATERIAL 

Hoop,  three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter. 
Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  bean  bags. 

Players  form  a  circle,  four  feet  distance  be- 
tween each  child. 

Have  two  players  hold  the  hoop  in  the 
centre  of  the  circle  about  four  feet  from  the 
ground  in  a  horizontal  position. 

Give  each  player  a  bean  bag,  alternating 
red  and  blue. 

At  a  given  signal  one  child  should  throw 
his  bean  bag,  endeavoring  to  get  it  through 
the  hoop ;  each  player  will  throw  in  turn  until 
all  bean  bags  have  been  played. 

Should  the  red  bean  bags  have  the  greater 
number  thrown  through  the  hoop,  the  play- 
ers who  hold  that  color  win  the  game;  the 
same  principle  applies  to  those  holding  blue. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  play  spirit;  accuracy  of  aim; 
natural  effort. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COLOR  AND  FORM  PUZZLES— II 

MATERIAL 

Twelve-inch  pieces  of  thin  wood  in  blue, 
red,  yellow  and  green  colors,  of  square,  cir- 
cle, oval,  and  diamond  form. 

Each  form  must  be  cut  into  three  irregular 
pieces.  Have  children  stand  at  a  table.  Give 
each  child  six  pieces,  with  which  he  should 
make  two  complete  forms,  for  example,  three 
yellow  pieces,  forming  an  oval,  and  three 
green  pieces  forming  a  diamond. 

OBJECT 

Color;  form;  concentration;  constructive 
activity. 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DRILL.— ARM  SWINGING 

Line  up  children  by  twos  according  to 
height. 

Give  the  command  "Mark  time,"  followed 
by  "Forward  march!"  Children  should 
march  around  the  room  twice  and  then  down 
centre.  On  reaching  the  lower  end  of  the 
room,  partners  should  separate,  turn  in  the 
opposite  directions,  and  march  up  the  room 
in  two  single  lines  eighteen  feet  apart. 

Space  children  that  they  may  have  suf- 
ficient room  for  arm  swinging. 

Teacher  should  give  the  following  com- 
mands, accompanying  the  action  with  the 
words : 

1.  "Stand   at   position,   heels   together, 
arms  down." 

2.  "Hands  on  hips,  hands  on  shoulders, 
hands  on  heads,  hands  up;  hands  on  heads* 
hands  on  shoulders,  hands  on  hips,  hands 
down."    (Repeat  four  times.) 


86 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


3  "Clap  hands  once  in  front,  once  be- 
hind, keep  elbows  straight."  (Repeat  six 
times.) 

4.  "Hands   on  hips,  heels  raise,  heels 
sink."    (Repeat  six  times.) 

5.  "Arms  swing  straight  tip,  straight 
down."     Keep  the  body  erect  and  the  feet 
still  during  this  movement.     (Repeat  four 
times.) 

6.  Hands  on  shoulders,  arms  up ;  hands 
on  shoulders,  arms  down.    (Repeat  twice.*) 
Hands  on  shoulders,  arms  straight  out  in 
front;   hands   on   shoulders,   arms   down. 
(Repeat    twice.)       Hands    on    shoulders, 
arms   out   straight   each   side;  hands   on 
shoulders,  arms  down.      (Repeat  twice.) 
Commands  should  be  given  and  carried 

out  with  precision  to  obtain  desired  results, 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  discipline;  command. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

FARMYARD  GAME 

Have  class  sit  in  semi-circle. 

Teacher  should  call  upon  A  to  imitate  a 
dog,  e.g.,  go  down  on  his  hands  and  knees 
and  run  along  the  floor,  at  the  same  time 
imitating  the  bark  of  a  dog;  he  will  then  re- 
turn to  his  seat.  Call  upon  B  to  imitate  a 
cow;  C  to  imitate  a  sheep;  D  to  imitate  a 
cat,  and  so  forth,  until  the  children  have 
each  an  animal  in  mind  to  imitate. 

If  the  class  is  large  have  several  children 
imitate  the  same  animal. 

When  the  game  has  been  played  in  this 
manner  several  times,  and  the  children  have 
become  familiar  with  the  sounds  the  dif- 
ferent animals  make,  the  teacher  should  as- 
sign one  corner  of  the  room  for  a  barn.  At 
a  given  signal  call  upon  the  animals  to  go  to 
the  barn,  at  which  all  the  children  will  crawl 
rapidly  along  the  floor  to  the  barn,  each  mak- 
ing the  noise  of  the  animal  they  are  to 
imitate. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  observation;  imagina- 
tive activity. 

88 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COLOR  OBSERVATION 

Teacher  calls  upon  a  child  to  tell  all  the 
different  articles  of  one  color  he  can  see  in 
the  room.  Should  the  desired  color  be  blue, 
the  child  should  be  told  to  look  around  the 
room  and  name  every  article  that  he  can  see 
of  that  color. 

If  the  child  has  not  learned  to  know  color 
by  name,  the  teacher  should  hand  him  a 
bright  blue  block  or  a  bright  blue  ball  and 
tell  him  to  name  all  of  like  color  that  he  can 
see  in  the  room. 

Should  the  child  be  unable  to  speak  and 
yet  have  his  color  sense  developed,  the  teach- 
er should  hand  him  a  pointer  and  have  him 
point  out  the  different  articles  of  desired 
color. 

OBJECT 

Observation;  color  sense;  independent 
thought. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"JACK  AND  JILL" 

Have  the  children  seated.  Choose  two 
children  to  represent  Jack  and  Jill.  They 
should  have  a  small  tin  pail  to  carry  between 
them. 

Teach  the  following  words,  having  the 
children  in  class  clap  rhythmically  while  re- 
peating them : 

"Jack  and  Jill  went  up  the  hill, 
To  fetch  a  pail  of  water; 
Jack  fell  down  and  broke  his  crown, 
And  Jill  came  tumbling  after." 

"Up  Jack  got  and  said  to  Jill 
As  in  his  arms  he  caught  her; 
If  you're  not  hurt,  brush  off  the  dirt, 
And  then  we'll  fetch  the  water." 

During  the  first  verse  Jack  and  Jill  walk 
slowly  as  though  climbing  a  hill.  On  the 
third  line  they  fall  to  the  ground;  Jack  holds 
his  head  as  thoqgh  hurt. 

On  the  second  verse  Jack  regains  his  feet* 
helps  Jill  to  rise,  at  the  same  time  brushing 
the  dirt  from  her  dress.     They  pick  up  the 
fallen  pail,  and  trot  merrily  off. 
OBJECT 

Imaginative  activity;  increase  vocabulary. 

90 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

EXERCISE  IN   FORM 

Material:  Blocks  of  one  color. 

Teacher  draws  a  chalk  square  on  the  floor, 
having  sides  three  feet  in  length. 

Give  each  child  a  block,  and  have  them 
place  their  blocks  on  lines  of  square  in  turn. 
Teach  children  to  put  their  blocks  equal  dis- 
tance apart  to  keep  as  far  as  possible  the 
symmetry  of  the  square.  When  the  form 
is  complete,  point  to  things  in  the  room  that 
are  square,  and  ask  children  if  the  shape  is 
not  like  that  which  they  have  just  completed. 

Place  a  chalk  circle  on  the  floor  of  similar 
size,  and  have  children  in  turn  place  their 
blocks  on  lines.  When  finished  teacher  holds 
up  ball  or  anything  in  the  room  that  may  be 
round,  and  asks  if  each  shape  is  not  the  same. 

When  children  have  become  familiar  with 
circle  and  square,  other  forms  may  be  used 
in  the  same  way.  Do  not  use  same  color 
blocks  on  two  consecutive  forms. 

For  example,  triangle  in  red  blocks ;  square 
in  blue  blocks;  oval  in  yellow  blocks. 

OBJECT 

Color;  form;  attention;  observation. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

ROPE  JUMPING 

A  starting  line  fifteen  feet  from  rope  will 
be  needed  on  both  sides. 

Place  children  in  single  straight  line,  ac- 
cording to  size,  with  leader  standing  on  start- 
ing line. 

The  rope  must  be  held  very  steadily  and 
raised  not  more  than  two  inches  each  time 
the  line  renews  jumping. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leader  will  run  and 
jump,  afterward  standing  in  position  on 
starting  line  on  opposite  side  of  rope;  the  rest 
of  the  players  will  each  run  in  turn  and  jump 
over  rope,  afterward  taking  their  places  be- 
hind leader.  Be  sure  one  child  has  entirely 
cleared  the  rope  before  the  next  child  starts 
to  run,  thereby  avoiding  confusion. 

When  all  the  players  Have  jumped,  rope 
will  be  raised  and  signal  be  again  given  for 
leader  to  jump;  exercise  will  continue  as 
before. 

This  is  a  simple  exercise,  but  if  not  car- 
ried out  in  a  systematic,  orderly  manner  the 
desired  result  will  be  lost. 


92 


ROPE  JUMPING 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


OBJECT 

To  develop  play  spirit;  discipline;  natural 
effort;  motor  force. 

93 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


CIRCLE  PICK  UP 

MATERIAL 

Newspapers  or  magazines  cut  into  long 
Strips  two  inches  in  width;  waste  basket. 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  circle  with 
two  feet  of  space  between  each  child. 

Place  the  basket  in  the  center  of  the  circle. 

Give  each  child  several  strips  of  paper.  On 
command  the  children  should  tear  their  paper 
into  small  pieces  and  throw  it  inside  the 
circle.  When  all  of  the  paper  is  torn  up, 
have  the  children  stand  in  position  waiting 
the  second  command. 

Teacher  should  then  give  the  second  com- 
mand for  the  children  to  pick  up  the  paper 
from  the  floor,  and  place  it  in  the  waste  bas- 
ket. When  this  command  is  obeyed  the 
children  should  again  stand  in  position. 

Children  then  quietly  take  their  seats. 

To  gain  the  desired  results  it  is  essential 
that  the  above  commands  should  be  given 
and  carried  out  with  order  and  precision. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  co-ordination;  discipline. 

94 


GAMES    FOR     CHILPREN 

ODD  MAN  OUT 

MATERIAL 

Eleven  bean  bags. 

Place  bean  bags  in  a  row  on  the  floor 
about  one  foot  of  space  between  each. 

Draw  a  starting  line  parallel  with  bean 
bags  at  a  distance  of  eighteen  feet. 

Have  twelve  children  stand  on*  starting 
line.  At  given  signal  they  should  run,  each 
child  picking  up  a  bean  bag  and  running  back 
to  starting  line.  The  child  not  quick  enough 
to  get  a  bean  bag  is  out. 

The  game  is  repeated,  one  bean  bag  being 
removed  each  time,  until  only  cne  remains. 
The  child  getting  the  last  bean  bag  wins  the 
game. 

This  game  may  be  played  with  any  num- 
ber of  children,  always  having  one  less  bean 
bag  than  players. 

If  played  out-of-doors,  stones  may  be  used 
instead  of  bean  bags. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  play  spirit;  initiative. 
95 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


ROUNDERS 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball  or  bean  bag. 

Form  a  circle,  children  standing  about  four 
feet  distance  from  each  other.  The  ball  or 
bean  bag  is  thrown  from  one  child  to  the  next 
all  around  the  circle.  Those  failing  to  catch 
must  sit  in  centre  of  circle  until  all  but  two 
players  are  standing;  the  last  one  up  is  the 
winner. 

The  above  game  may  also  be  played  with 
bean  bags.  Use  two,  and  start  them  at  the 
same  time  in  different  parts  of  the  circle. 
This  form  of  rounders  calls  for  greater  at- 
tention tHan  medicine  ball  rounders. 

OBJECT 

Training  the  hand  and  eye;  play  spirit; 
stimulate  activity. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


PLACES    CHANGE— I 

Children  should  be  seated  in  semi-circle  on 
small  chairs. 

Have  perfect  quiet  in  the  schoolroom  dur- 
ing this  exercise,  that  children  may  concen- 
trate more  readily. 

Teacher  should  speak  slowly  and  distinctly 
while  giving  commands. 

Call  upon  A  to  change  places  with  B,  and 
B  to  take  A's  seat. 

Continue  this  exercise,  calling  upon  chil- 
dren in  different  parts  of  the  class  to  change 
places  with  each  other. 

This  exercise  should  not  exceed  ten  min- 
utes duration. 


97 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


PLACES  CHANGE— II 

When  the  children  have  gained  in  concen- 
tration and  memory  sufficiently  to  master  the 
above  exercise,  use  the  following  more  dif- 
ficult exercise. 

Call  upon  A  to  change  places  with  B ;  B  to 
change  places  with  C;  and  C  to  go  to  the 
seat  vacated  by  A. 

The  teacher  should  repeat  command  twice 
before  allowing  children  to  perform. 

The  exercise  should  be  continued  in  this 
way,  calling  upon  children  in  turn. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  command;  concentration. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DISCIPLINE    EXERCISE 

Have  children  seated  quietly  with  arms 
folded. 

Teacher  give  commands  in  the  following 
order : 

1.  All  stand. 

2.  All  clap  hands. 

3.  Mark  time. 

Teacher  should  count  "One,  two,"  "One, 
two,"  and  clap  her  hands  to  give  rhythm  and 
precision  to  the  hand  clapping  and  march! 
step. 

4.  Arms  folded. 

5.  Halt;  one,  two. 

6.  All  be  seated,  quietly, 

OBJECT 

Attention;  motor  control;  discipline. 


99 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


LEAP    FROG 

Line  up  the  players  according  to  height. 

Choose  three  strong  boys  for  frogs,  have 
them  take  their  positions  in  a  straight  line, 
there  should  be  eight  feet  of  running  space 
between  each  frog. 

On  signal  the  leader  should  run  and  leap 
over  the  three  frogs  in  turn ;  he  should  then 
remain  on  the  further  side.  Second  player 
should  now  run  and  jump,  afterward  taking 
his  place  immediately  behind  the  first  player. 
The  third  player  will  then  take  his  turn. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way,  each  boy 
jumping  in  his  turn.  When  the  game  is  fin- 
ished children  should  all  be  lined  up  on  the 
further  side. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  stimulate  activity. 


100 


LEAP  FROG 


GAMES    FOR     CHLl.DP.Etf 


I 


I 

CO 


X 

X 

X 


IOI 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BEAN  BAG  RACE 

MATERIAL 

Three  blue  bean  bags,  three  red  bean  bags. 

Mark  floor  plainly,  according  to  diagram. 

Place  three  red  bean  bags  in  one  circle,  and 
three  blue  bean  bags  in  the  other. 

Choose  two  players,  have  them  stand  on 
starting  lines.  At  a  given  signal  they  should 
run  and  place  their  bean  bags  on  crosses 
ma'rked  for  that  purpose ;  only  one  bean  bag 
may  be  carried  at  a  time.  The  player  having 
all  bean  frags  placed  on  the  crosses  and  tack 
on  the  starting  line  first,  wins  the  race. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  voluntary  activity. 


1 02 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


O  -  O 

Red  Blue 


M 


R  * 

•5 


103 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"LITTLE  BO-PEEP" 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  semi-circle. 
Teach  the  following  rhyme,  saying  the  words 
slowly  and  distinctly  that  the  children  may 
more  readily  understand. 

"Little  Bo-peep  has  lost  her  sheep, 
She  can't  tell  where  to  find  them; 
Leave  them  alone,  and  they'll  come  home, 
Wagging  their  tails  behind  them." 

The  children  should  clap  their  hands  while 
repeating  the  above  rhyme. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  increase  vocabulary. 


104 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BLOCK  STRUCTURE 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red,  blue,  yellow  and 
green  blocks. 

Draw  five  chalk  circles  in  front  of  class. 
In  the  middle  circle  teacher  should  build  a 
simple  structure  of  blocks.  In  the  other  four 
circles  put  one  block  of  each  color.  The  chil- 
dren should  in  turn  place  their  blocks  in  cir- 
cle of  corresponding  color;  and  as  each  child 
places  his  block 'he  will  help  to  form  the  dif- 
ferent structures,  imitating  that  made  by  the 
teacher  in  the  centre. 

The  structure  made  by  teacher  should  not 
consist  of  more  than  six  blocks. 

OBJECT 

Color;   attention. 


105 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COMMAND    AND    CONCENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

Ball,  spinning  top,  wooden  block,  bean 
bag. 

Lay  the  above  t  articles  in  a  row  on  the 
table,  call  a  child  from  class  and  give  com- 
mands in  the  following  order,  speaking 
slowly  and  distinctly: 

Pick  up  top. 

Pick  up  ball. 

Put  down  top  and  pick  up  bean  bag. 

Pick  up  block  and  top  and  put  down  the 
ball. 

Put  down  block  arid  top  and  pick  up  the 
ball. 

Put  down  ball  and  pick  up  block  and  top. 

Put  down  block,  bean  bag  and  top,  and  go 
to  your  seat. 


106 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


CIRCLE   THROW 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  bean  bags. 

Have  children  form  a  circle  with  three 
feet  distance  between  each  child.  Make  a 
chalk  circle  in  the  centre  about  four  feet  in 
diameter.  Give  each  child  a  bean  bag, 
alternating  red  and  blue. 

At  given  signal  one  child  throws,  endeav- 
oring to  get  his  bean  bag  into  chalk  circle. 
Each  child  follows  in  order. 

When  all  the  bean  bags  have  been  thrown, 
teacher  should  count  those  inside  of  chalk 
circle,  separating  the  reds  from  blues.  The 
color  having  the  greater  number  in  centre 
wins. 

OBJECT 

Accuracy  of  aim;  color;  natural  effort. 


107 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

CONCENTRATION    AND    MEMORY 

MATERIAL 

Bean  bag,  colored  block,  rubber  ball. 

Have  children  seated  in  half-circle. 

Place  bean  bag,  wooden  block,  and  rubber 
ball  in  front  of  children. 

Call  upon  A  to  perform.  Teacher  should 
talk  slowly  and  distinctly  while  giving  com- 
mands. 

Tell  A  to  give  bean  bag  to  B,  block  to  C, 
and  rubber  ball  to  D. 

A  should  take  the  different  articles  and 
give  them  to  the  children  whose  names  the 
teacher  designates. 

Should  the  child  become  confused  and  be 
unable  to  concentrate  sufficiently  to  success- 
fully distribute  three  articles,  use  only  two, 
until  memory  and  attention  is  strengthened. 

When  child  has  become  proficient  with 
three,  teacher  should  add  one  more,  always 
taking  care  lest  the  exercise  become  too  com- 
plex and  create  confusion  in  the  mind  of 
the  child. 


108 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


RAINBOW    CIRCLE 

MATERIAL 

A  wooden  circle,  twelve  inches  in  dia- 
meter and  a  half  inch  in  thickness,  painted 
in  four  colors,  red,  blue,  yellow  and  green. 
It  should  be  painted  on  both  sides,  one  quar- 
ter of  the  circle  for  each  color. 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  half-circle. 

Teacher  will  spin  the  circle  and  call  the 
name  of  a  child;  the  child  called  upon  should 
run  and  catch  the  circle  before  it  stops  spin- 
ning. He  should  then  spin  it  and  call  the 
name  of  another  child. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way. 

Should  a  child  be  unable  to  talk  the  teacher 
should  call  a  name  for  him. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  initiative;  stimulate  activity. 


109 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


FLAG    DRILL 

MATERIAL 

One  drum,  twelve-inch  flags. 

Line  up  children  by -twos,  each  carrying  a 
flag. 

Having  marched  around  the  room  several 
times  children  should  march  down  centre, 
then  turn  off,  one  line  to  the  right,  one  line 
to  the  left,  marching  toward  the  upper  end 
of  the  room,  and  come  to  position  in  two 
parallel  lines,  with  about  eighteen  feet  dis- 
tance between. 

At  the  close  of  marching,  drum  music 
should  cease,  with  teacher,  flag  in  hand,  in 
position  before  the  class,  ready  to  give  fol- 
lowing commands  for  drill,  at  the  same  time 
demonstrating  action. 

i.  "Flags  up;  flags  to  the  shoulder/'  (Re- 
peat three  times.) 

"Flags  straight  out  to  the  side;  flags  to  the 
shoulder/'  (Repeat  three  times.) 


no 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"Flags  straight  out  in  front;  flags  to  the 
shoulder."  (Repeat  three  times.) 

"Flags  straight  down;  flags  to  the 
shoulder."  (Repeat  three  times.) 

2.  "Take  four  steps  (more  or  less  accord- 
ing to  distance)  to  the  centre,  and  cross  flags 
with  your  partner."    Flags  should  be  held  at 
arm's  length  above  the  head  and  the  sticks 
crossed  as  evenly  as  possible. 

"Back  to  position."    (Repeat  twice.) 

3.  "Mark  time  and  wave  flags."  (Move- 
ments should  be  rhythmic.) 

4.  "Flags  straight  up;  flags  down  to  the 
ground;  flags  to  the  right;  flags  to  the  left." 
(Repeat  four  times.) 

This  should  be  a  free  arm  movement,  with 
long  swinging  strokes. 

Drum  music  should  then  play  for  the  clos- 
ing of  ranks  and  the  final  marcK. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  discipline. 


in 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

"LITTLE    MISS    MUFFET" 

Children  stand  in  a  circle,  a  small  space 
betwen  each  child.  Have  them  clap  their 
hands  while  repeating  the  following  words 
slowly  and  distinctly: 

"Little  Miss  Muffet 

Sat  on  a  tuffet, 

Eating  curds  and  whey; 

There  came  a  big  spider, 

Which  sat  down  beside  her, 

And  frightened  Miss  Muffet  away." 

Choose  two  children,  one  to  represent 
Miss  Muffet,  and  one  for  the  spider.  Miss 
Muffet  should  sit  on  a  low  stool  in  the  centre 
of  the  circle,  and  imitate  the  action  of  eat- 
ing during  the  first  three  lines  of  the  rhyme. 
On  the  fourth  line  the  child  representing  the 
spider  should  crawl  into  the  circle  on  her 
hands  and  knees,  come  up  behind  Miss  Muf- 
fet and  sit  down  beside  her.  Immediately 
Miss  Muffet  jumps  up  in  a  fright  upsets  the 
little  stool,  and  runs  out  of  the  circle. 

OBJECT 

Imaginative  activity;  idea  association. 
112 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


DRESSING     EXERCISE 

Have  children  quietly  seated.  Place  three 
chairs  in  front  of  class ;  call  upon  three  chil- 
dren to  perform. 

Place  the  hat  and  coat  belonging  to  each 
child  upon  the  chairs.  Have  each  child  pick 
out  the  chair  containing  her  own  hat  and 
coat.  Children  should  then  put  them  on  and 
fasten  them,  the  object  being,  to  see  who  can 
first  accomplish  the  task  successfully.  They 
should  then  take  off  the  hat  and  coat,  place 
them  on  the  chairs,  and  return  to  their  seats. 

Teacher  should  then  have  these  coats  and 
hats  removed  and  three  others  put  in  their 
places,  calling  upon  the  children  owning 
these  clothes  to  repeat  exercise. 

When  the  children  have  learned  to  put 
on  hats  and  coats,  teacher  may  add  gloves, 
rubbers  and  other  articles  of  wearing  ap- 
parel. 

OBJECT 

To  create  the  desire  and  ability  to  dress; 
concentration;  useful  activity. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

FORM    BUILDING 

MATERIAL 

Blocks  of  one  color. 

Line  up  players  in  single  file.  Mark  floor 
according  to  diagram.  Give  each  child  a 
block. 

Leader  stands  on  starting  line,  with  play- 
ers in  line  behind. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leader  should  run 
and  place  his  block  on  one  of  the  chalk  cross- 
es after  which  he  should  run  to  the  rear 
of  line,  and  second  player  should  follow  in 
like  manner.  The  exercise  continues  until 
all  blocks  have  been  placed  and  form  is  com- 
plete. 

Diagram  may  be  varied  by  using  triangle, 
oval,  diamond,  circle. 

The  form  must  consist  of  equal  number  of 
crosses  as  there  are  children  playing. 

OBJECT 

Form;  attention;  constructive  activity. 


114 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


X  X  X  X  X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X      X      X      X      X 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

DOUBLE    LINE    HOOP    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Wooden  hoop,  three  and  a  half  feet  in 
diameter;  red  and  blue  bean  bags. 

Line  up  players  in  two  straight  lines,  ac- 
cording to  height. 

Give  each  player  a  bean  bag,  one  side  hold- 
ing red  and  the  other  side  blue. 

Two  of  the  players  should  hold  hoop  in  a 
horizontal  position  in  the  middle  of  the  two 
lines. 

The  lines  should  stand  opposite  each  other, 
with  a  distance  of  twenty  feet  between  the 
leaders. 

Draw  a  chalk  line  on  which  each  leader 
will  stand,  and  from  which  each  player  in 
turn  should  throw  his  bag. 

Leader  on  the  red  side  plays  first;  the  ob- 
ject being  to  throw  his  bean  ba'g  through  the 
hoop;  he  should  then  run  to  rear  of  line,  and 
leader  on  blue  side  should  throw  his  bean  bag 
in  like  manner;  after  which  he  also  should 
run  to  rear  of  line,  and  the  second  player 
on  each  side  should  perform. 

116 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 

The  game  continues  in  this  way  until  all 
bean  bags  have  been  played  and  leaders  are 
once  more  on  starting  lines. 

Two  score  keepers  will  be  needed;  one  to 
keep  count  of  blue  bean  bags  going  through 
the  hoop  and  one  to  keep  count  of  red  bean 
bags* 

The  side  having  ^he  greater  number  of 
bean  bags  thrown  through  the  hoop  wins  the 
game. 


X  X  X  X  X 

RED 


ft 

w 

§  — 10  Feet- 


—10  Feet—  g 


X  X  X  X  X 

BLUE 


OBJECT, 

""*•> — 

Train  eye  and  hand;  stimulate  activity. 


117 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

OVER   HEAD   BEAN   BAG 

MATERIAL 

Two  bean  bags,  one  red  and  one  blue. 

Line  up  the  players  according  to  height 
in  two  straight  lines  eight  feet  of  space  be- 
tween lines. 

Make  a  chalk  starting  line  on  which  leaders 
will  stand. 

Give  each  leader  a  bean  bag. 

On  signal  "Are  you  ready  ?"  the  players 
should  all  raise  their  arms  above  their  heads. 
On  the  word  "Go"  the  bean  bag  is  passed 
over  head,  each  player  passing  it  to  the  play- 
er in  his  rear  until  it  reaches  the  last  one, 
who  immediately  runs  to  the  front  of  the  line, 
and  starts  the  bean  bag  again  by  passing  it 
back  over  his  head. 

Thus  the  last  player  runs  each  time  he  re- 
ceives the  bean  bag  to  the  front  of  the  line, 
until  finally  the  leader,  is  back  on  starting 
line  again. 

Above  is  a  simplified  form  of  "Arch-ball." 

OBJECT 

Competitive  spirit;  stimulate  activity. 
118 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


HIDE    THE    BLOCK 

Call  six  children  out  of  class  and  have 
them  cover  their  eyes. 

Teacher  should  take  a  bright  colored  block 
and  hide  it  in  a  place  where  it  will  be  found 
with  little  difficulty. 

Hold  up  a  block,  an  exact  duplicate  of  hid- 
den block,  and  tell  the  six  children  to  go  and 
find  a  block  just  like  the  one  teacher  is  hold- 
ing. 

The  children  should  scatter  to  different 
parts  of  the  r.oom  and  hunt  for  the  block; 
the  one  finding  it  should  bring  it  back  to 
teacher. 

Keep  the  duplicate  block  in  .view  that  the 
child  may  not  forget  the  object  for  which  he 
is  searching. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  spirit  of  play;  observation; 
independent  thought. 


119 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

ACTION     SONG 

To  be  sung  to  the  tune  of  "Here  We  Go 
Round  the  Mulberry   Bush." 

Children  join  hands  in  a  circle  and  skip 
around  while  singing: 

"Here  we  go  round  the  mulberry  bush', 

The  mulberry  bush; 

The  mulberry  bush ; 

Here  we  go  round  the  mulberry  bush. 

So  early  in  the  morning. 
(All  stop  skipping,  and  imitate  cleaning 
teeth  on  following  words.) 

This  is  the  way  we  clean  our  teeth 

Clean  our  teeth;  clean  our  teeth; 

This  is  the  way  we  clean  our  teeth 

So  early  in  the  morning." 
(Repeat  verses,  changing  action  each  time.) 
2. — This  is  the  way  we  brush  our  hair. 
3.— This  is  the  way  we  wash  our  face. 
4. — This  is  the  way  we  tie  our  shoes. 
5. — This  is  the  way  we  clap  our  hands. 
6. — This  is  the  way  we  run  to  school. 

OBJECT 

Observation;  sense  of  rhythm;  play  spirit; 
active  imagination. 

1 20 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

RING  TOSS 

MATERIAL 

The  ring  toss  board  should  be  made  ac- 
cording to  the  following  measurements: 
Base  two  feet  square;  five  posts,  one  at  each 
corner,  eight  inches  in  height,  the  centre 
post  ten  inches  in  height;  five  rings,  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  made  from  firm  rope. 

For  beginners  chalk  a  starting  line  six 
feet  from  the  board;  as  the  children  improve 
the  distance  may  be  increased. 

Children  should  be  seated  on  small  chairs 
in  a  half-circle. 

Place  the  board  in  the  front  of  class,  mark 
the  starting  line. 

Teacher  will  call  upon  the  players  one  at  a 
time,  have  them  stand  on  the  chalk  line  and, 
throw  rings  in  an  effort  to  get  them  on  the 
posts. 

Have  one  child  pick  up  the  scattered  rings 
and  return  them  to  the  players. 

OBJECT 

Visual  training;  motor  control;  voluntary 
action. 


121 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 

OUTDOOR  OBSERVATION 

While  out  walking  with  children  use  the 
following  exercise  to  develop  power  of  ob- 
servation. 

Teacher  should  designate  one  child  to  tell 
all  he  can  see  around  him. 

Do  not  try  to  force  his  attention  to  ob- 
serve details  of  the  landscape  until  he  has 
thoroughly  awakened  to  those  things  that 
are  apparent  to  the  eye  with  little  thought 
on  the  part  of  the  observer. 

The  second  child  called  upon  will  possibly 
imitate  the  first.  Teacher  should  encour- 
age children  to  find  those  things  which 
others  have  overlooked. 

Color  sense  may  also  be  introduced  in  this 
exercise.  The  child  may  say,  "I  see  a  tree/' 
Teacher  may  ask:  "What  color  are  the 
leaves?"  The  same  question  may  be  applied 
to  the  sky;  a  house;  a  field;  etc. 

OBJECT 

Observation;  natural  effort;  independent 
thought;  color. 


122 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

HEARING  AND  DIRECTION— I 

MATERIAL 

Clear  sounding  bell,  cow  bell,  sleigh  bell, 
tambourine. 

Children  should  be  seated  quietly.  Call 
upon  five  boys  to  perform.  Blindfold  A  and 
have  him  stand  in  the  centre  of  the  room. 
Give  BCD  and  E  one  bell  each  and  have 
them  stand  in  different  corners  of  the  room. 

Teacher  should  motion  to  B  to  ring  his 
cow  bell.  Ask  A  what  he  hears.  He  should 
answer  "I  hear  the  cow  bell  ringing."  Teach- 
er will  then  ask  "From  what  direction  does 
the  sound  come?"  A  should  then  point  in 
the  direction  of  B  and  say  "The  sound  came 
from  that  direction." 

The  instruments  of  B  C  D  and  E  should 
be  sounded  in  turn.  A  being  questioned  each 
time  as  to  the  nature  of  the  sound  and  the 
direction  from  which  it  came. 

OBJECT 

Hearing;  sense  of  direction;  concentra- 
tion; independent  thought 


123 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

BLOCK   AND    BASKET    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Eight  blocks,  four  red  and  four  blue;  one 
basket. 

Chalk  floor,  plainly  according  to  diagram. 

Place  four  red  blocks  on  crosses  on  one 
side,  and  four  blue  blocks  on  crosses  on  the 
other  side. 

Choose  two  players  to  stand  on  starting 
lines,  back  to  back. 

At  given  signal  players  run,  and  picking 
up  one  block  at  a  time,  return  to  centre 
and  place  it  in  the  basket.  The  child  hav- 
ing all  blocks  in  the  basket  and  on  the  start- 
ing line  first  wins  the  game. 

Have  each  couple  after  they  Have  played, 
set  out  the  blocks  ready  for  the  next  players. 

This  game  is  simplified  by  using  bean  bags 
instead  of  blocks. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  muscular  control;  volun- 
tary action. 


124 


BLOCK  AND  BASKET  GAME 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


ro  Feet 


10  Feet 


A  B 


125 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


CRAWLING  RACE 

Draw  two  parallel  lines  with  twenty  feet 
of  space  between. 

Players  line  up  on  the  starting  line  in  a 
crawling  position  on  their  hands  and  knees. 
Have  three  feet  of  space  between  each  child. 

On  a  given  signal  children  should  crawl 
from  one  line  to  the  next,  the  child  arriv- 
ing there  first  winning  the  race. 

As  the  players  progress  they  may  crawl 
from  starting  line  to  the  second  line,  and 
then  back  to  the  starting  line  again,  the  play- 
er arriving  there  first  winning  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  attention;  stimulate  activ- 
ity 


126 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

PHYSICAL    QUESTIONS 

Children  should  stand  in  a  semi-circle.  Ask 
the  following  questions,  having  the  children 
point  to  the  different  parts  of  the  body  as 
they  are  mentioned. 

1.  "Where  are  your  eyes?" 

2.  "Why  do  we  have  eyes?" 

3.  "Where  is  your  nose?" 

4.  "Of  what  use  is  your  nose?" 

5.  "Where  is  your  mouth?" 

6.  "Of  what  use  is  your  mouth?" 

7.  "Where  are  your  ears?" 

8.  "Why  do  we  need  ears?" 

9.  "Where  are  your  hands?" 

10.  "Of  what  use  are  your  hands?" 

11.  "Where  are  your  feet?" 

12.  "Of  what  use  are  your  feet?" 

When  the  children  fail  to  give  correct  re- 
plies, teacher  should  tell  them  the  answer  in 
brief  concrete  form. 

OBJECT 

Association  of  ideas;  memory;  independ- 
ent thought. 


127 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

BLOCK     RACE 

MATERIAL 

Five  red,  five  blue  and  five  yellow  wooden 
blocks. 

Mark  floor  according  to  diagra'm. 

Place  five  blocks  of  each  color  called  for 
in  circles. 

Call  upon  three  players;  have  them  stand 
on  the  starting  lines. 

On  given  signal  they  should  run  and  place 
their  blocks  upright  on  crosses  marked  for 
that  purpose,  only  one  block  may  be  car- 
ried at  a  time. 

The  player  having  his  five  blocks  placed 
on  crosses  and  back  in  position  on  starting 
line  first,  wins  the  race. 

Continue  game  in  this  way  calling  upon 
three  other  players  to  perform. 

Before  taking  their  seats  players  should 
replace  the  blocks  in  circles,  in  readiness  for 
the  next  players. 

OBJECT 

Co-ordination;  motor  control;  competitive 
spirit;  natural  effort. 

128 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


o          o          o 

Red  Yellow  Blue 


X 


X 


X  X  X 


X 


6  Feet  __ «  6  Feet 


129 


GAMES  FOR  CHILDREN 


"I  SAW  A  LITTLE  MAN" 

Teach  the  following  verse,  saying  the 
words  slowly  and  distinctly,  that  the  chil- 
dren may  more  readily  understand. 

"Once  I  saw  a  little  man, 

And  he  had  a  little  gun, 

And  his  bullets  were  made  of  lead,  lead, 

lead. 

He  went  to  the  brook, 
And  saw  a  little  duck, 
And  shot  it  right  through  tHe  Head,  head, 

head." 

Have  the  children  clap  loudly  and  de- 
cisively three  times  on  the  words  "lead,  lead, 
lead"  and  also  clap  three  times  on  the  words 
"head,  head,  head." 

OBJECT 

Memory;  increase  vocabulary;  imagina- 
tive thought. 


130 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


FORM   MARCHING 

Line  up  children  in  single  file,  according 
to  height. 

Teacher  should  chalk  a  square  on  the  floor 
twelve  feet  on  each  side.  Have  children 
take  short,  quick,  marching  steps,  keeping 
directly  on  the  lines  of  square. 

When  they  have  marched  on  the  square 
twice,  teacher  should  space  them  so  that 
the  last  child  and  the  leader  are  the  same 
distance  apart  as  the  rest  of  the  children. 
Have  a  child  stand  directly  on  each  corner 
of  square.  Draw  the  children's  attention  to 
the  fact  that  they  have  formed  a  shape  much 
like  the  picture  or  book,  or  anything  in  the 
room  that  may  be  square. 

For  variation  the  teacher  should  draw  a 
circle,  oval,  triangle,  etc.,  and  in  this  manner 
the  children  will  become  more  familiar  with 
form. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  form;  observation. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

MEDICINE  BALL  BOWLING 

MATERIAL 

Two  medicine  balls  and  thirty;  jvooden 
blocks,  fifteen  red  and  fifteen  blue. 

Chalk  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Place  fifteen  wooden  blocks  on  end  in  each 
circle;  blue  blocks  in  one  circle,  and  red 
blocks  in  the  other. 

Have  one  child  at  each  circle  to  replace 
the  fallen  blocks  and  two  children  to  return 
the  balls  to  players. 

Call  upon  two  players ;  have  them  stand  on 
the  lines;  give  them  each  a  ball. 

The  ball  should  be  bowled  along  the 
ground,  in  an  endeavor  to  knock  down  as 
many  of  the  blocks  as  possible  at  one  strike. 

Only  one  throw  of  the  ball  is  allowed  to 
each  player.  When  two  players  have 
bowled,  they  should  return  to  their  seats  and 
two  others  should  be  called  upon  to  play. 

Should  a  player  knock  down  all  of  the 
blocks  in  one  strike  he  is  entitled  to  another 
turn. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  co-ordination. 


132 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


O 


Red  Blue 


A  10  Feet  B 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


VISUALIZATION     AND     COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Four  wooden  blocks,  one  red,  one  yellow, 
one  green,  one  blue. 

Place  blocks  in  a  row  on  the  table;  call 
a  child  and  ask  him  to  look  carefully  at  the 
blocks,  noticing  the  color  and  the  order  in 
which  they  are  laid;  blindfold  him  and  re- 
move the  blue  block.  Unbind  his  eyes  and 
ask  him  to  name  the  color  of  the  missing 
block. 

Repeat  exercise  in  this  way  calling  upon 
each  child  in  turn. 

Before  this  exercise  is  attempted,  it  is 
necessary  the  child's  color  sense  should  be 
developed. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  sight  training;  independent 
thought. 


134 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


DROP  THE  BEAN   BAG 

Form  a  circle,  choosing  one  Child  for  the 
odd  player. 

The  circle  players  should  clasp  hands  and 
stand  still ;  the  odd  player  should  run  around 
the  outside  of  the  circle,  carrying  a  bean  bag, 
and  drop  it  behind  the  one  whom  she  chooses 
to  chase  hen  The  player  behind  whom  the 
bag  was  dropped  will  immediately  pick  it  up 
and  run  after  the  odd  player,  endeavoring  to 
tag  her  before  she  can  get  back  to  the  vacant 
place  in  the  circle. 

The  player  reaching  the  vacant  place  first 
remains  there,  the  one  left  out  taking  the 
bean  bag  for  repetition  of  the  game. 

Note. — This  is  a  variation  of  "Drop  the 
Handkerchief," 

OBJECT 

Play  spirit;  attention;  stimulate  activity. 


135 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


MARCHING 

Line  up  children  in  single  file,  according 
to  size. 

1.  All  stand  in  position  and  mark  time. 

2.  March    slowly   with   heads    erect    and 
arms  straight  down  at  sides. 

3.  Change  from  slow  marching  to  quick 
marching. 

4.  Hands  on  hips  and  march. 

5.  All  clap  hands  in  time  to  march  step. 

6.  Place  one  hand  on  each  shoulder  of  the 
child  in  front  and  march  (elbows  straight). 

7.  Hands    on    heads,    elbows    out,    and 
march. 

8.  Heels   raised   march   on   toes   without 
noise. 

9.  Arms  double;  all  run. 


136 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

10.  Form  two  lines  and  mark  time. 

11.  Forward,  march. 

The  above  command,  "Form  two  lines/' 
is  carried  out  by  the  second  child  stepping 
forward  and  taking  the  leader's  hand;  the 
fourth  boy  taking  the  third  boy's  hand,  and 
so  on  along  the  line.  The  teacher  should 
clap  her  hands  in  time  to  the  marching,  and 
give  commands  in  a  forceful  manner;  also 
count  "one,  two,"  "one,  two."  Do  not  use 
the  terms  left  and  right. 

The  command  to  stop  should  be  "Halt! 
One !  Two !"  the  word  "halt"  alone  being  too 
brief. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  co-ordination;  muscular  con- 
trol. 


137 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BASEBALL    PICK    UP 

MATERIAL 

Six  colored  baseballs,  shallow  box. 

Have  the  children  seated  quietly. 

Teacher  should  throw  the  baseballs  to  the 
floor,  letting  them  roll  where  they  will. 

Call  upon  a  child;  tell  her  to  pick  up  one 
ball,  put  it  in  the  box,  and  return  to  her  seat. 

Continue  exercise  in  this  way,  calling  up- 
on six  children  in  turn  to  pick  up  the  six 
fallen  balls. 

Should  a  child  pick  up  more  than  one  ball, 
do  not  correct  her,  or  have  her  repeat  the  ex- 
ercise, she  will  learn  more  readily  from  prac- 
tise and  observation  of  others. 

OBJECT 

Command;  attention;  natural  effort. 


138 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

CENTER    BALL   CATCH 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Children  form  a  circle,  three  feet  distance 
between  each  player,  odd  player  in  the  cen- 
tre holding  ball. 

On  signal  the  game  starts,  centre  player 
throws  ball  to  one  of  the  circle  players  who, 
catching  it,  throws  it  immediately  back  to 
centre  player. 

The  ball  is  played  in  this  manner  right, 
around  the  circle,  each  child  receiving  the 
ball  and  throwing  it  back  to  centre  player. 

Should  a  player  fail  to  catch  the  ball,  he 
must  sit  on  the  floor  in  exactly  the  same 
place  he  is  standing,  and  remain  there  until 
finish*  of  game. 

Should  the  centre  player  fail  to  catch,  he 
must  forfeit  his  position  to  the  player  who 
threw  the  ball  and  take  that  player's  place 
in  the  circle. 

OBJECT 

Train  eye  and  hand;  stimulate  activity. 


139 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"LITTLE  DROPS  OF  WATER" 

Teach  the  following  poem  saying  each 
word  slowly  and  distinctly: 

"Little  drops  of  water, 
Little  grains  of  sand, 
Make  the  mighty  ocean, 
And  the  pleasant  land. 

Little  deeds  of  kindness, 
Little  words  of  love; 
Make  our  earth  so  happy, 
Like  the  heaven  above." 

There  are  phrases  in  the  above  poem,  the 
meaning  of  which  may  be  unfamiliar  to  the 
child;  the  teacher  should  explain  briefly  and 
simply,  the  meaning  of  these,  to  prevent  men- 
tal confusion. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  increase  vocabulary;  stimulate 
thought. 


140 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


MEMORY    AND    COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Three  blocks,  red,  blue  and  yellow. 

Children  sit  in  semi-circle,  on  kindergarten 
chairs. 

Call  upon  A  to  perform. 

Tell  A  to  give  red  block  to  B,  blue  block 
to  C,  and  yellow  block  to  D. 

Teacher  should  talk  slowly  and  distinctly 
while  giving  this  command,  and  have  per- 
fect quiet  in  the  room  that  A  may  concen- 
trate his  mind  more  readily. 

When  the  command  is  given  A  should 
take  each  block  in  turn  and  give  it  to  the 
child  designated  by  the  teacher. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  memory;  color;  natural 
effort. 


141 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

CIRCLE    BLOCK    BUILDING 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red,  blue,  yellow,  green, 
purple,  and  orange  blocks. 

Teacher  should  draw  six  circles  upon  the 
floor,  placing  a  block  of  different  color 
lengthwise  in  each  one. 

Children  should  sit  in  half-circle.  Give 
each  child  a  block. 

Call  upon  first  child  to  place  his  block  in 
circle  of  corresponding  color.  The  block 
must  be  placed  crosswise  on  the  block  al- 
ready there. 

As  each  child  plays,  the  structures  of  dif- 
ferent colored  blocks  are  made,  each  block 
being  placed  crosswise. 

When  the  exercise  is  finished  there  are 
six  structures  of  blocks,  each  of  a  different 
color. 

Should  a  child  upset  the  structure  while 
placing  his  block  he  must  rebuild  it  before 
returning  to  his  seat. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  color  sense;  constructive 
activity;  poise. 

142 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

BEAN    BAG    PASS 

MATERIAL 

Two  bean  bags,  one  red,  one  blue. 

Line  up  players,  according  to  height,  in 
two  straight  lines  facing  each  other,  with  a 
distance  of  ten  feet  between. 

Leader  of  one  line  holds  a  red  bean  bag, 
and  leader  of  the  other  line  holds  a  blue  bean 
bag. 

At  a  given  signal  leader  will  pass  his  bean 
bag  to  next  player;  each  player  will  pass  the 
bean  bag  on  until  it  reaches  end  player,  who 
immediately  runs  to  head  of  line;  passing 
will  continue,  each  end  player  running  to  the 
head  of  line  as  he  receives  bean  bag. 

The  side  having  its  leader  back  to  head 
of  line  first  wins  the  game. 

Players  must  run  back  of  lines,  not  inside. 

This  game  may  also  be  played  with  wood- 
en blocks  or  medicine  balls. 

OBJECT 

Competitive  play;  muscular  control;  vol- 
untary action. 


143 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

HOPPING    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Five  red  bean  bags. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Place  a  bean  bag  on  each  cross.  Have 
a  child  stand  on  the  starting  line  and,  with 
his  arms  folded  across  his  chest,  hop  on  one 
foot  over  each  bean  bag,  until  he  reaches 
the  end.  He  should  then  rest  for  a  few 
seconds  by  lowering  his  foot  to  the  ground, 
after  which  :he  should  hop  back  to  the  start- 
ing line. 

As  the  children  progress  in  this  exercise 
they  may  hop  over  the  five  bea'n  bags  and 
back  to  the  starting  line  without  stopping 
to  rest. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  co-ordination;  poise. 


M          W       .  K 


144 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


HEARING    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Tambourine,  clear-sounding  bell. 

Have  class  quietly  seated;  teacher  should 
designate  three  children  to  take  part  in  exer- 
cise. 

Blindfold  A,  give  B  the  tambourine  and  C 
the  clear-sounding  bell.  Have  B  and  C  go  to 
opposite  corners  of  the  room  and  ring  their 
instruments. 

Teacher  should  lead  A  to  centre  of  room 
and  tell  him  to  find  out  who  has  the  bell; 
A,  guided  by  his  sense  of  hearing,  will  go  to 
C,  who  is  ringing  the  bell. 

Continue  exercise  in  this  way,  calling  up- 
on different  children  to  perform. 

OBJECT 

Sense  of  hearing;  concentration;  volun- 
tary action. 


145 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


BALL  LEADER 

Make  a  chalk  line  on  which*  children  stand 
in  a  straight  row.  Choose  one  child  for  the 
leader,  give  him  the  ball,  and  have  him 
stand  in  front  of  the  line  at  a  distance  of  ten 
feet  (more  or  less,  according  to  the  ability 
of  the  players). 

The  leader  should  throw  the  ball  to  the 
first  player,  who  will  at  once  throw  it  back  to 
leader.  The  leader  then  throws  it  to  the 
second  player  and  the  game  continues  in 
this  way,  each  child  playing  in  turn. 

Should  the  leader  fail  to  catch  the  ball,  he 
must  forfeit  his  position  as  leader  to  the 
player  who  threw  the  ball,  and  take  that 
player's  place  in  the  line. 

The  leaders  keep  changing  in  this  way, 
and  the  game  is  made  more  interesting. 

OBJECT 

Attention ;  play  spirit ;  natural  effort. 


146 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


WALKING  EXERCISE— II 

Teacher  should  chalk  a  straight  line  along 
the  floor. 

1.  Have  child  place  feet  together  and  with 
hands  held  firmly  on  hips,  take  short  jump- 
ing steps  all  along  the  line. 

2.  Place  hands  firmly  on  hips  and  hop  on 
one  foot  along  the  line. 

3.  Have  the  child  hold  a  wooden  wand 
three  feet  in  length,  horizontally  in  the  nape 
of  the  neck,  with   one  end  in  each  hand. 
Walk  the  line,  taking  short  steps  and  having 
the  heel  and  toe  placed  on  the  line  at  each 
step. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  co-ordination. 


147 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 

TRI-COLOR    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red,  blue  and  yellow 
blocks. 

Mark  floor  according  to  diagram;  place 
one  block  in  each  circle  of  color  called  for. 

Line  up  children  in  order,  one  behind  the 
other,  with  leader  on  starting  line. 

Give  each  child  one  block;  avoid  giving 
two  blocks  of  same  color  to  children  stand- 
ing together. 

At  given  signal  A  should  run  and  place 
his  block  in  circle  having  a  like  color. 

After  having  placed  block  he  should  not 
return  to  line  a,  but  should  go  back  to  line 
b  and  therefore  avoid  distracting  ^attention 
of  B,  who  is  now  running.  When  B  has 
placed  his  block,  he  should  take  his  place 
immediately  behind  A,  and  other  players 
will  follow  in  order. 

When  game  is  finished,  players  will  be 
lined  up  on  line  b.  If  game  is  to  be  re- 
peated players  must  go  back  to  line  a. 
No  effort  should  be  put  forth  by  the  teach- 

148 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

er  to  gain  speed  in  this  game;  its  object  be- 
ing to  develop  color  sense  and  attention. 


o 

Blue 

o  o 

Red  Yellow 


I 


START  b    FINISH 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 


OBJECT 

ColoK  sense;  play  spirit;  concentration. 
149 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


"THE  ROBIN" 

Have  class  seated  in  a  semi-circle  on  kin- 
dergarten chairs, 

"The  north  wind  doth  blow, 

And  we  shall  have  snow; 

And  what  will  poor  robin  do  then, 

Poor  thing? 

He'll  sit  in  a  barn, 

And  keep  himself  warm; 

And  hide  his  head  under  his  wing, 

Poor  thing!" 

Teacher  should  say  the  words  slowly  and 
enunciate  carefully  when  teaching  the  rhyme 
so  that  the  children  may  more  readily  un- 
derstand. 

OBJECT 

Increase  vocabulary;  suggestive  thought. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

STUDY   OF  THE  BODY 

Have  children  stand  on  straight  chalk 
line.  They  should  place  their  hands  on  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  body  in  obedience  to  com- 
mands from  teacher,  as  follows: 

1.  "Attention;     heels     together;     arms 
down.'9 

2.  "Hands  on  head." 

3.  "Hands   on  shoulders." 

4.  "Hands  on  the  back  of  neck." 

5.  "Hands  on  your  chest." 

6.  "Hands  on  your  hips." 

7.  "Hands  on  your  back." 

8.  "Hands  on  your  stomach." 

9.  "Hands  on  your  knees." 

10.  "All  touch  your  feet." 

11.  "All  raise  one  arm." 

12.  "All  raise  one  leg  from  the  ground." 

13.  "Attention;     heels      together;     arjns 
down." 

TKe  above  commands  should  be  given 
slowly,  teacher  at  the  same  time  carrying 
out  the  action  for  children  to  imitate. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


LEAP    FROG    RACE, 

Chalk  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 
Line  up  players  in  two  straight  lines  with 
leaders  on  the  starting  lines. 

Choose  six  strong  boys  for«,  frogs.  Have 
them  take  their  positions  each  on  a  cross. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leaders  run,  and  leap 
over  the  three  frogs  in  turn,  afterward  tak- 
ing their  place  on  the  further  line.  Second 
player  may  not  run  until  the  leader  is  over 
the  further  line. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way  until  all 
of  the  players  have  run. 

The  side  having  all  players  over  the  fur- 
ther line  first  wins  the  race. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  self-control;  play  spirit. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


10  Feet 


H  M 


M 


M 


START 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

PAPER  CUTTING— II 

1.  Teacher  should  take  ten-inch  squares 
of  paper  and  draw  parallel  lines  in  colored 
pencil  right  across  paper. 

Have  children  cut  directly  on  colored  lines. 

2.  Teacher  should  take  ten-inch  squares 
of  paper  and  draw  curved  parallel  lines  in 
colored  pencil  right  across  paper. 

Have  children  cut  directly  on  curved  lines. 

3.  Teacher  should  make  very  simple  geo- 
metrical forms  on  drawing  paper.     Let  the 
paper  be  about  ten  by  four  inches  in  size; 
three  forms  would  be  sufficient  on  each  piece 
of  paper;  for  pcample,  square,  oval  and  tri- 
angle. 

4.  When  a  child  has  successfully  passed 
the  preceding  exercises  in  paper  cutting,  he 
will  be  ready  to  take  up  very  simple  picture 
cutting.    Choose  pictures  that  are  clear  in 
outline  and  have  very  little  detail. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;   co-ordination;  useful   ac- 
tivity. 


155 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


PAPER    CUTTING— I 

MATERIAL 

Small  scissors  and  paper. 

Give  each  child  a  pair  of  scissors. 

Teacher  should  cut  paper  into  oblong 
pieces  and  give  each  child  one  piece. 

Instruct  the  children  as  to  correct  manner 
of  holding  scissors. 

Do  not  be  particular  as  to  way  in  which  pa- 
per is  cut;  aim  to  have  child  hold  scissors 
correctly  in  first  cutting  exercise.  Colored 
paper  is  to  be  preferred  in  this  exercise. 

Have  the  children  seated  on  small  chairs 
around  a  kindergarten  table;  if  possible  have 
three  feet  of  space  between  each  child,  they 
will  then  concentrate  more  readily  than 
when  seated  close  together. 

OBJECT 

Co-ordinate  hand  and  brain;  concentra- 
tion; voluntary  effort. 


154 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


PAPER   FOLDING 

Teacher  should  give  one  eighth-inch 
square  of  paper  to  each  child. 

Have  children  stand  around  a  table  that 
all  may  be  able  to  see  what  the  teacher  is 
doing. 

Teacher  should  take  one  square  of  paper 
and  fold  it  in  half;  have  each  child  fold  his 
square  of  paper  in  exactly  the  same  way. 
Then  teacher  should  fold  the  paper  diagonal- 
ly and  have  children  do  likewise  with  their 
paper. 

Two  folds  will  be  quite  sufficient  to  start 
this  exercise.  As  children  improve  more 
folds  may  be  attempted. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  co-ordination;  useful  ac- 
tivity. 


156 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


MEMORY    TEST 

The  children  should  be  quietly  seated. 
Call  upon  three  children  and  have  them 
stand  in  front  of  the  class. 

Name  the  first  child  "red,"  the  second  child 
"blue"  and  the  third  child  "yellow." 

Before  starting  the  game,  have  each  child 
repeat  the  color  that  she  represents. 

Teacher  should  call  upon  a  child  in  the 
class  to  change  places  with  "blue" ;  the  child 
called  upon  should  leave  her  seat,  pick  out 
"blue"  and  change  places  with  her,  the  other 
taking  her  seat  in  class. 

Should  the  child  make  an  error,  she  must 
return  to  her  seat;  another  player  is  then 
called  upon. 

As  the  players  progress,  the  number  of 
players  representing  colors  may  be  increased. 

For  variety,  the  names  of  fruits,  flowers, 
birds  or  animals  may  be  used,  providing  the 
children  are  quite  familiar  with  the  names 
and  their  objects. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  concentration;  observation. 


157 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


I 


159 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 

SINGLE     LINE     BLOCK     BUILDING 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  blocks. 

Mark  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Line  up  children  in  one  straight  line;  lead- 
er on  starting  line. 

Give  each  child  a  block,  alternating  red 
and  blue. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leader  should  run 
and  place  his  block  lengthwise  on  the  cross; 
he  should  then  run  to  rear  of  line,  and  second 
player  should  run  and  place  his  block  cross- 
wise on  leader's  block;  likewise,  he  should 
go  to  rear  of  line,  and  third  player  should 
run.  The  exercise  continues,  each  player 
placing  his  block  crosswise  on  the  one  plated 
before,  thereby  building  a  structure  of  alter- 
nate red  and  blue  blocks.  Should  a  child 
upset  the  structure  while  placing  his  block, 
he  must  rebuild  before  taking  his  place  at 
rear  of  line. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  attention;  balance. 

158 


OAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

HOOP   GAME 

MATERIAL 

Light  wooden  hoop,  three  and  a  half  feet 
in  diameter.  Equal  number  of  red  and  blue 
bean  bags. 

Place  players  in  two  straight  lines  accord- 
ing to  height. 

Give  each  player  a  bean  bag,  one  line  hav- 
ing red  bean  bags  and  one  line  blue. 

Two  of  the  larger  players  should  hold 
hoop  in  a  horizontal  position  in  the  centre 
of  the  two  lines  at  a  distance  of  seven  feet 
from  each  leader,  making  a  distance  of  four- 
teen feet  between  the  leaders. 

Draw  two  chalk  lines  on  which  leaders 
stand. 

At  a  given  signal  leaders  should  throw 
their  bean  bags  endeavoring  to  get  them 
through  the  hoop.  After  having  played 
they  should  run  to  rear  of  line  and  second 
players  will  take  their  turn. 

The  game  continues  until  all  the  bean 
bags  have  been  thrown,  and  leaders  are  once 
more  on  starting  lines. 

1 60 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


Two  score  keepers  will  be  needed,  one  for 
blues  and  one  for  reds,  to  count  how  many 
bean  bags  are  thrown  through  the  hoop. 

The  side  having  the  greater  number  of 
bean  bags  thrown  through  the  hoop,  wins 
the  game. 


X    X    X    X   X    X 


7  Feet 


1  Feet 


X    X    X   X   X    X 


OBJECT 

Accuracy   of  aim;  competitive   spirit. 


161 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


THREE-LEGGED  RACE 

Mark  two  parallel  lines  on  the  ground, 
with  twenty  feet  of  space  between. 

Line  up  an  even  number  of  players  on  one 
of  the  lines. 

Each  player  will  have  a  partner  with 
whom  he  will  run. 

Partners  should  be  as  evenly  matched 
as  possible  with  regard  to  size  and  weight. 

The  right  ankle  of  one  player  should  be 
securely  fastened  to  the  left  ankle  of  his 
partner. 

The  signal  to  run  being  given,  each  play- 
er should  grasp  his  partner's  arm,  and  run 
with  as  much  speed  as  possible  to  the  oppo- 
site line ;  the  couple  reaching  there  first  wins 
the  race. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  self-control;  competitive 
spirit. 


162 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


WALKING    BACKWARD 

Mark  six  parallel  lines  on  the  floor,  four 
feet  of  space  between. 

Call  upon  six  children.  Have  them  fold 
their  arms  across  the  chest  and  each  child 
stand  on  the  end  of  a  line. 

At  a  given  signal,  they  should  all  walk 
backward,  the  child  reaching  the  end  of  the 
line  first,  being  the  one  to  win  the  race. 

One  step  off  the  line  is  not  counted,  but 
two  steps  off  disqualifies  the  player. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  sense  of  direction;  atten- 
tion. 


163 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

COLOR  STUDY 

MATERIAL 

A  number  of  four-inch  squares,  of  bright 
colored  cloth. 

Mix  the  different  colors  together  and  place 
them  on  a  table  in  front  of  the  class. 

Give  each  child  one  piece  of  cloth ;  do  not 
give  the  same  color  to  children  sitting  next 
to  each  other. 

Teacher  should  call  upon  the  first  child  to 
choose  a  piece  of  cloth  from  the  table,  to 
match  the  piece  he  has  in  his  hand. 

When  he  has  the  desired  piece  he  should 
hold  up  the  two  pieces  of  cloth,  one  in  each 
hand,  for  the  inspection  of  the  class.  Teach- 
er may  ask  the  question,  "Are  John's  colors 
right?"  The  class  may  answer  "Yes"  or 
"No,"  as  the  case  may  be. 

Next  child  will  perform  in  the  same  way, 
and  the  exercise  will  continue  until  all  the 
children  have  matched  their  colors. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  discriminative  power;  inde- 
pendent thought. 

164 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

"THE    CLOCK" 

Teach  the  following  words  accompanied 
by  action. 

Have  the  children  stand  in  semi-circle. 

On  the  first  line  all  point  in  the  direction 
of  clock;  on  the  third  and  fourth  line 
children  extend  their  hands.  On  the  first 
line  of  second  verse  all  bow;  on  second  line 
all  point  to  faces;  and  on  last  two  lines  clap 
hands. 

"There's  a  neat  little  clock, 
In  the  schoolroom  it  stands, 
And  it  points  to  the  time 
With  its  two  little  hands. 

And  may  we,  like  the  cloclc, 
Keep  a  face  clean  and  bright, 
With  hands  ever  ready 
To  do  what  is  right." 

OBJECT 

Imaginative  activity;  memory;  increase 
vocabulary. 


165 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


WATER     CARRYING 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  half-circle. 

Chalk  a  straight  line  on  the  floor  in  front 
of  the  class.  Call  upon  a  child.  He  should 
place  his  left  hand  upon  his  hip,  and  in  his 
right  hand  carry  a  cup  full  of  water.  Have 
the  child  walk,  keeping  heel  and  toe  on  the 
line  at  each  step,  endeavoring  to  hold  the  cup 
in  a  steady  position  that  the  water  may  not 
be  spilled. 

Continue  exercise  in  this  way,  calling  up- 
on children  in  turn  to  perform. 

This  exercise  may  be  made  into  a  com- 
petitive game,  by  drawing  three  parallel 
lines,  and  having  three  children  walk  in  the 
above  manner,  the  player  successfully  carry- 
ing the  water  and  reaching  the  end  of  the, 
line  first  being  the  one  to  win. 

OBJECT 

Poise;  motor  control;  concentration; 
voluntary  effort. 


166 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


STONE    PICTURES 

Have  the  children  each  gather  a  small 
pile  of  stones.  Let  them  be  seated  in  a  half- 
circle  on  the  ground. 

Teacher  should  take  a  pointed  stick  and 
draw  a  triangle  in  the  soft  earth  in  front  of 
each  child :  the  children  will  then  place  their 
stones  one  at  a  time,  closely  together  on 
the  lines,  forming  a  triangle  of  stones.  Chil- 
dren may  then  make  a  square,  oval,  circle, 
or  any  simple  form  the  teacher  thinks  suit- 
able. 

Note. — If  this  game  is  played  with  chil- 
dren who  are  learning  their  letters  and  num- 
bers, teacher  should  draw  different  num- 
bers and  letters,  and  let  them  fill  in  the  lines 
with  stones. 

OBJECT 

Handwork;  attention;  constructive  ac- 
tivity. 


167 


GAMES     FOR    CHILDREN 


INDIAN  FILE  TARGET  GAME 

A  board  painted  bright  red,  about  twelve 
inches  square,  will  be  needed  for  the  target; 
nail  it  securely  to  the  post  four  feet  from 
the  ground,  or  according  to  height  of  play- 
ers. 

Line  up  players  in  single  file  twelve  feet 
from  target ;  give  them  each  a  bean  bag. 

On  signal,  first  player  should  throw  his 
bean  bag,  endeavoring  to  hit  target;  after 
having  played,  he  should  run  to  rear  of  line, 
and  next  player  should  take  his  turn.  The 
game  continues  in  this  way  until  all  players 
have  thrown  their  bean  bags,  and  leader  is 
on  starting  line. 

OBJECT 

Accuracy  of  aim;  attention;  natural  ac- 
tivity. 


168 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


COLOR   PICK-UP 

MATERIAL 

Paper  of  different  colors  in  bright  shades ; 
small  boxes. 

Teacher  should  cut  paper  into  pieces 
and  scatter  them  within  a  small  space  on  the 
floor.  Choose  twelve  children,  and  give  each 
one  a  piece  of  paper  and  a  box.  Have 
them  pick  up  pieces  of  paper  on  the  floor 
corresponding  to  the  color  of  the  piece  given 
them.  When  all  the  pieces  are  picked  up 
each  child  should  show  his  box.  The  one 
having  gathered  the  most  pieces  of  correct 
color  wins  the  game. 

Note. — Do  not  attempt  this  exercise  un- 
til training  in  color  sense  development  has 
been  given  the  child. 

OBJECT 

[Useful  activity;  application;  concentration. 


169 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

WHAT   DO   YOU   HEAR? 

Have  the  children  quiet  in  class.  Call 
upon  one  child,  blindfold  him,  and  have  him 
stand  in  front  of  the  class. 

Have  an  assistant  make  the  different 
sounds  at  one  end  of  the  room,  while  the 
teacher  questions  the  child. 

The  assistant  should  sing  a  short  snatch 
of  a  song;  teacher  asks  the  question  "What 
do  you  hear?"  the  child  answers  "I  hear 
Miss  L.  singing";  the  assistant  should  then 
whistle;  teacher  repeats  the  question,  and 
ttfe  child  should  answer  "I  hear  Miss  L. 
whistling/'  The  assistant  should  talk  very 
loudly,  afterward  very  softly,  then  imitate 
crying,  then  laughing.  Each  time  the  ques- 
tion and  answer  should  be  as  above,  accord- 
ing to  the  sound  heard  by  the  child. 

The  exercise  should  be  continued  in  this 
way,  calling  upon  the  different  children  to 
perform  in  their  turn. 

OBJECT 

Attention;  discrimination  of  sound;  inde- 
pendent thought. 


170 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

FOOT  AND  ARM   EXERCISE 

Make  a  single  chalk  line  upon  the  floor; 
line  up  children  according  to  height;  have 
them  stand  on  the  line  with  heels  together, 
heads  erect,  and  arms  straight  down. 

Teacher  should  give  the  command,  "Hands 
on  hips." 

Have  children  raise  one  foot  from  the 
ground,  and  hold  it  thus  for  five  seconds; 
lower  it  slowly,  and  raise  the  other  foot, 
also  holding  that  one  for  five  seconds.  (Re- 
peat four  times.) 

Give  command  for  one  arm  to  be  raised 
straight  up,  hold  it  thus  for  five  seconds; 
lower  it  slowly;  repeat  in  the  same  manner 
with  the  other  arm.  (Repeat  four  times.) 

Do  not  use  the  expression  "right"  and 
"left"  when  teaching  defective  children: 
teacher  should  say,  "Lift  the  arm  nearest  the 
window,"  or  "Lift  the  foot  nearest  the  door," 
as  the  case  may  be. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  attention;  voluntary  effort 


171 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

COMPETITIVE    TRIPLE   COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Red,  blue,  and  yellow  wooden  blocks. 

Chalk  floor  according  to  diagram.  Place 
one  colored  block  in  each  circle,  block  color 
matching  circle  color. 

Place  children  in  two  lines,  according  to 
size;  leaders  on  starting  lines.  Give  each 
child  a  block. 

At  a  given  signal  leader  of  each  line  should 
run  and  place  his  block  in  circle  of  corres- 
ponding color;  he  should  then  run  to  jear  of 
his  line,  and  second  player  will  take  his  turn, 
also  running  to  rear  of  line  when  he  has 
played.  The  game  continues  in  this  way  un- 
til all  blocks  have  been  placed,  and  leaders 
are  on  the  starting  lines. 

Blocks  must  be  placed  in  an  upright  posi- 
tion. 

The  side  having  its  blocks  in  correct  circles 
and  its  leader  on  starting  line  first  wins  the 
game. 

Note. — This  game  is  only  suitable  for  chil- 
dren whose  color  sense  is  developed,  and  for 


172 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

those  who  have  had  some  training  in  com- 
petitive games. 


o 

Yellow 

o    o 


xed 


Bluff 


I 


LEADEB 


X 
X 
X 
X 

X 


6  Feet 


o 

Yellow 

o    o 

Red  Blue 


X 
X 
X 
X 
X 


OBJECT 

Natural  activity;  attention;  discriminative 
power. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


ACTION    CIRCLE    GAME 

Children  form  a  circle,  hands  on  hips,  feet 
placed  together.  Teach  children  the  follow- 
ing words: 

See  my  hands  go  clap,  clap,  clap. 
See  my  feet  go  stamp,  stamp,  stamp, 
Now  my  head  nods  one,  two,  three, 
So  skip  merrily,  merrily,  we. 
Ha!  Ha!  Ha!  you  and  me. 
So  skip  merrily  merrily,  we. 

On  the  words  "Clap,  clap,  clap/'  children 
clap  hands  three  times;  on  the  words 
"Stamp,  stamp,  stamp/'  stamp  the  feet  three 
times;  on  the  words  "One,  two,  three/'  nod 
the  head  three  times;  for  the  rest  of  the 
words  children  take  hands  and  skip  around 
until  last  "merrily  we/' 

OBJECT 

Sense  of  rhythm;  play  spirit;  muscular 
control;  imaginative  activity. 


174 


BALL  THROW 


GAMES     FO.R     CHILDREN 

BALL  THROW 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball,  fourteen-foot  rope. 

Tie  the  rope  between  two  posts  or  trees 
five  feet  from  the  ground,  or  according  to 
height  of  players. 

Divide  players  into  two  lines  of  equal  num- 
ber. Players  line  up  on  each  side  of  the 
rope,  facing  each  other,  a  distance  of  twelve 
feet  between  lines. 

The  game  is  started  by  the  teacher,  who 
throws  ball  to  a  player  on  one  side,  who  in 
turn  throws  it  over  the  rope  to  players  on 
the  other  side.  The  game  continues  in  this 
way,  the  ball  being  thrown  from  one  side  to 
the  other.  The  ball  must  not  be  thrown  to 
any  particular  player;  it  should  be  thrown 
from,  one  group  to  the  other,  those  catching 
it  who  can. 

Should  a  player  fail  to  catch  the  ball,  it 
counts  one  point  against  his  side.  The  first 
side  having  ten  failures  gives  the  opposite 
side  the  game. 

This  is  a  simplified  form  of  "Volley  Ball." 


175 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

BEAN    BAG    RELAY 

MATERIAL 

Bean  bags,  shallow  box. 

Place  players,  according  to  size,  in  two 
lines  of  equal  number. 

Mark  floor  according  to  diagram. 

If  a  shallow  box  or  basket  is  not  at  hand, 
a  chalk  circle  will  answer  the  purpose. 

Players  in  position,  with  leaders  on  start- 
ing lines. 

Give  each  player  a  bean  bag,  those  on  one 
side  having  red  bean  bags,  those  on  the  other 
side  blue. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leader  of  each  side 
should  run  and  drop  his  bean  bag  into  the 
basket  (it  must  not  be  thrown  into  the  bas- 
ket), he  should  then  take  his  place  at  end  of 
line,  and  as  he  runs  over  starting  line  second 
player  should  run. 

Each  player  should  run  in  turn  until  lead- 
ers are  once  more  on  starting  lines.  The 
side  having  played  off  all  their  bean  bags, 
and  having  their  leader  back  to  starting  line 
first,  wins  the  game. 

176 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


x 

M 
X 
X 
M 
X 
LEADER 


I 


o 


M 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 


OBJECT 

Competitive    spirit;    self-control;    natural 
activity. 

177 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


CIRCLE    TOSS 

MATERIAL 

Five  cardboard  circles,  nine  inches  in  dia- 
meter, each  circle  bright  red  on  one  side  and 
blue  on  reverse. 

Children  may  choose  the  color  they  prefer. 
Those  choosing  red  stand  on  one  side;  those 
choosing  blue  on  the  other. 

Teacher  should  throw  cardboard  circles  in- 
to the  air  one  at  a  time.  The  majority  falling 
to  the  ground,  with  the  blue  side  up,  cause 
the  blues  to  win;  the  majority  falling  with 
red  side  up  cause  reds  to  win. 

Throwing  the  circles  into  the  air  one  at 
a  time  holds  the  children's  interest  more  read- 
ily, and  is  less  likely  to  cause  confusion  in 
their  minds  than  throwing  all  together. 

OBJECT 

Color  sense;  play  spirit;  independent 
thought. 


178 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


WALKING  CURVED    LINE 

Chalk  a  long  curved  line  on  the  floor. 

Call  upon  six  children.  Have  each  one 
carry  a  wand,  three  feet  in  length,  held 
horizontally  in  the  nape  of  neck. 

Children  should  walk  in  this  manner  one 
behind  the  other,  until  they  reach  the  end 
of  the  chalk  line.  They  should  then  turn, 
and  the  last  child  becomes  leader  as  the  chil- 
dren walk  back  on  the  line. 

Do  not  let  the  children  walk  close  enough 
to  touch  each  other. 

Short  steps  should  be  taken  and  the  foot 
placed  heel  and  toe  on  the  line  at  each  step. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  attention;  voluntary  effort. 


179 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

TARGET    GAME 

MATERIAL 

Red  and  blue  bean  bags.  Two  boards 
twelve  inches  square,  painted  bright  red,  for 
targets ;  nail  them  securely  to  a  post  six  feet 
from  ground.  There  should  be  ten  feet  of 
space  between  the  posts. 

Make  two  starting  lines  opposite  targets, 
at  twelve  feet  distance. 

Place  players  in  two  lines  of  equal  num- 
bers, leaders  on  starting  line.  Give  each 
player  a  bean  bag,  red  bags  for  one  side,  and 
blue  for  the  other  side. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leaders  on  both  sides 
should  throw  their  bean  bags,  endeavoring  to 
hit  target.  After  having  thrown  they  should 
each  run  to  the  rear  of  their  line,  and  game 
will  be  repeated,  each  player  throwing  his 
bean  bag  at  the  target  and  then  running  to 
the  end  of  the  line.  The  side  having  the 
greater  number  of  bean  bags  hit  the  target 
wins  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Accuracy  of  aim ;  attention ;  self-control. 
1 80 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COLOR     THROW 

MATERIAL 

Six  bean  bags;  green,  yellow,  red,  blue, 
orange  and  purple. 

Children  sit  in  semi-circle  on  small  chairs. 

Teacher  should  throw  one  bag  each  to 
children  in  different  parts  of  class. 

Call  upon  Red  to  throw  his  bean  bag  to 
teacher;  call  upon  Yellow  to  throw  his  bag; 
call  upon  Green,  and  so  continue  until  all 
bean  bags  have  been  returned  in  their  right 
order. 

Choose  six  other  children  and  continue 
exercise. 

OBJECT 

Sense  of  color;  attention. 


181 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


PICK    UP    STICKS 

This  game  is  suitable  only  in  woods  or 
groves  where  there  may  be  small,  dry  sticks. 
Have  children  search  for  sticks. 

When  sticks  are  gathered,  children  should 
sit  on  the  ground  in  a  semi-circle,  each  child 
having  a  dozen  or  more  sticks  with  which  to 
work. 

Teacher  should  sit  in  front  of  class  and 
using  sticks  somewhat  larger  than  the  chil- 
dren, make  a  simple  pattern  for  them  to  copy. 

Teacher  should  make  the  pattern  slowly 
and  let  children  work  with  her.  As  one  stick 
is  laid  by  the  teacher,  one  stick  may  be  laid 
by  the  children.  Let  the  patterns  be  very 
simple  to  start  with,  square,  triangle,  ob- 
long, alphabetic  letters  such  as  A,  T,  E,  V, 
H,  etc. 

When  children  have  learned  to  put  their 
sticks  together  in  following  a  simple  pattern, 
more  difficult  patterns  may  be  used. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  observation;  constructive 
activity. 

182 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


OVER    HEAD    MEDICINE    BALL 

Material :  Two  medicine  balls. 

Line  up  the  players  in  two  straight  lines, 
ten  feet  distance  between  lines.  Make  a  chalk 
starting  line  on  which  leaders  will  stand. 
Give  each  leader  a  ball. 

On  the  signal  "Are  3^011  ready  ?"  the  play- 
ers should  raise  their  hands  above  their 
heads.  On  the  word  "Go"  the  ball  is  passed 
over  head,  each  player  passing  it  to  the  play- 
er in  his  rear  until  it  reaches  the  last  one, 
who  immediately  seizes  the  ball,  runs  to  the 
front  of  the  line  and  starts  the  ball  again, 
passing  it  back  over  his  head. 

Thus  the  last  player  in  the  line  runs  eacK 
time  he  receives  the  ball  to  the  front  of  the 
line,  until  finally  the  leader  is  back  on  start- 
ing line. 

The  side  having  their  leader  back  on  the 
starting  line  first  wins  the  game. 

Note. — The  above  is  a  simplified  form  of 
"Arch  Ball." 

OBJECT 

Motor  force;  spirit  of  competitive  play; 
voluntary  energy. 

183 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


ROUGH  AND  SMOOTH— I 

MATERIAL 

Six-inch  squares  of  sand-paper,  smooth- 
finished  paper,  emery,  and  glass. 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  half-circle. 

Hand  the  sandpaper  around  the  class, 
letting  each  child  handle  it  in  turn;  then 
the  smooth-finished  paper,  give  this  also  to 
each  child  in  the  class. 

Then  take  the  square  of  glass  and  the 
square  of  emery,  and  with  these  materials  re- 
peat the  exercise  in  the  same  manner. 

This  exercise  should  be  continued  until  the 
child  shows  that  it  perceives  the  difference  in 
the  surface  of  the  materials.  When  this 
stage  is  reached  the  teacher  should  give  the 
next  exercise  in  the  series. 

OBJECT 

To  develop  sense  of  touch ;  concentration. 


184 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

ROUGH  AND  SMOOTH— II 

MATERIAL 

Six-inch  squares  of  sand-paper,  smooth-fin- 
ished paper,  emery,  and  glass. 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  half-circle. 
Hand  the  piece  of  sand-paper  to  the  first 
child,  and  remark,  while  rubbing  child's 
fingers  on  the  rough  surface,  "Rough."  Have 
the  child  repeat  the  word  after  you. 

Repeat  the  exercise  in  this  way,  going  to 
each  child  in  turn  and  having  them  say  the 
word  "Rough." 

Teacher  should  then  hold  the  piece  of 
sand-paper  so  that  it  may  be  seen  by  each 
child,  and  have  them  repeat  altogether  the 
word  "Rough." 

Continue  the  exercise  with  the  smooth- 
finished  paper,  having  the  children  repeat  the 
word'"Smooth"  each  time  they  feel  the  paper. 

The  squares  of  glass  and  emery  should 
then  be  treated  in  the  same  way. 

OBJECT 

Touch;  memory;  attention. 

185 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


ROUGH    AND    SMOOTH— III 

MATERIAL 

Six-inch  squares  of  sand-paper,  smooth-fin- 
ished paper,  emery,  and  glass. 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  half-circle. 
Call  upon  a  child  and  put  a  blinder  on  his 
eyes;  hand  him  the  above  squares  one  at  a 
time.  He  should  feel  the  surface  and  tell 
the  class  the  nature  of  it.  For  example,  on 
receiving  the  square  of  glass  he  should  say, 
"This  is  a  piece  of  glass,  it  is  smooth"  and 
on  receiving  the  emery,  "This  is  a  piece  of 
emery,  it  is  rough/'  Continue  the  exercise 
in  this  way  calling  upon  children  in  turn  to 
perform. 

OBJECT 

Touch ;  concentration ;  discriminative 
power;  independent  thought. 


186 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


"HOP,  HOP,  HOP" 

Children  should  stand  in  a  circle,  two  feet 
distance  between  each  child. 

"Once  I  saw  a  little  bird  come  hop,  hop,  hop, 

(hop  three  times) 

And  I  cried  little  bird  will  you  stop,  stop, 
stop, 

(clap  three  times) 

And  was  going  to  my  window  to  say  'how 
do  you  do?' 

(make  a  low  bow) 

When  he  shook  his  little  tail  and- away  he 
flew.* 

Swing  the  body  from  side  to  side  on  the 
words  "When  he  shook  his  little  tail"  and  on 
the  words  "And  away  he  flew"  raise  the  arms 
above  the  head  to  imitate  flying,  skip  around 
in  a  circle,  and  then  back  into  place. 

Repeat  rhyme  slowly  and  maintain  correct 
rhythm  throughout. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  imaginative  activity;  increase 
vocabulary. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BLOCK  STANDING 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  blocks. 

Chalk  floor  according  to  diagram.  Place 
players  in  two  lines  of  equal  number. 

Have  leaders  on  starting  lines;  give  each 
child  a  block,  red  for  one  line,  and  blue  for 
the  other. 

At  a  given  signal  children  should  run  in 
relay  style  and  place  their  blocks  on  end  in 
the  circle.  If  the  block  should  drop  length- 
wise child  must  replace  it  on  end.  Should 
a  player  knock  another  block  down  while 
placing  his,  he  must  replace  it  upright  before 
returning  to  his  line. 

The  line  having  all  their  blocks  placed  in 
circle,  and  their  leader  on  the  starting  line 
first,  wins  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Spirit  of  competitive  play;  motor  control; 
voluntary  energy. 


1 88 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


O 

B*J 


I  I 


X 
X 


189 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

FORM  STUDY  IN  BLACK  AND  WHITE 

MATERIAL 

A  number  of  geometrical  forms,  square, 
circle,  oval,  triangle,  etc.,  one  side  black  and 
reverse  side  white,  made  of  thin  wood,  size  six 
inches;  one  large  form  eighteen  inches  in 
size  will  be  needed  for  every  six  small  forms. 

Teacher  should  place  large  geometrical 
forms  on  the  floor  in  a  straight  line,  with  the 
white  side  up.  Give  each  child  a  small  form. 
First  child  will  place  his  small  form  on 
large  form  of  corresponding  shape,  white 
side  up.  He  will  then  take  his  seat,  and  next 
child  will  perform.  The  exercise  continues 
in  this  way  until  each  child  has  placed  his 
form. 

The  large  forms  may  be  placed  on  the  floor 
with  black  side  up,  and  children  place  their 
forms  accordingly. 

This  exercise  may  also  be  varied  by  plac- 
ing the  large  forms  on  the  floor,  alternating 
black  and  white. , 

OBJECT 

Form ;  discriminative  power. 


190 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN . 

"SIX    LITTLE    MICE" 

Six  children  should  be  chosen  to  represent 
mice.  They  sit  cross-legged  on  the  floor  in 
a  semi-circle. 

One  child  representing  "Pussy"  takes  place 
to  the  right  of  the  six  mice. 

"Six  little  mice  sat  down  to  spin, 

Pussy  passed  by  and  she  looked  in; 

What  are  you  doing  my  little  men? 

We're  making  coats  for  gentlemen. 

May  I  come  in  and  bite  off  your  threads  ? 

Qh,  no,  Miss  Pussy,  you'll  bite  off  our 

heads." 

The  six  mice  imitate  the  action  of  sew- 
ing during  the  first  part  of  the  rhyme.  On 
the  third  line  "Pussy"  crawls  in  on  all 
fours  and  asks  the  question  "What  are  you 
doing,  my  little  men?"  The  mice  answer  her 
as  on  line  four,  and  perform  the  action  of 
holding  up  their  sewing.  "Pussy"  asks  the 
question  on  the  fifth  line,  and  then  crawls 
away  as  the  mice  all  point  at  her,  and  shake 
their  heads  as  they  repeat  the  last  line. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  imaginative  activity. 


191 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


BEAN    BAG    HOP, 

MATERIAL 

Ten  bean  bags;  five  red  and  five  blue. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  diagram.  Place 
a  bean  bag  on  each  circle,  red  bags  on  one 
side  and  blue  on  the  other. 

Line  up  the  players  in  two  lines,  with  lead- 
ers on  the  starting  lines. 

At  a  given  signal  the  leaders  should  hop 
over  each  bean  bag  and  then  back  again,  be- 
fore taking  their  place  at  the  rear  of  their 
line,  leaders  should  touch  the  second  player 
who  immediately  hops  over  the  bean  bags 
as  did  the  first. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way;  each  play- 
er taking  his  place  at  the  rear  of  the  line 
when  he  has  finished  hopping. 

The  side  having  its  leader  back  on  the 
starting  line  first  wins  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Competitive  spirit;  motor  force;  atten- 
tion; stimulate  activity. 


192 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


LEADER  10   Feet 

X 
X 


193 


;o 


•o 


:o 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


WAND    MARCHING 

MATERIAL 

Thirty  wooden  wands,  three  feet  in  length ; 
fifteen  should  be  painted  bright  red  and  fif- 
teen bright  blue. 

Line  up  children  according  to  height.  Give 
each  child  a  wand,  alternating  red  and  blue. 
Wands  should  be  held  in  a  horizontal  posi- 
tion, with  the  ends  loosely  clasped  in  each 
hand,  arms  straight  down. 

A  simple,  well-accented  march  should  be 
played  during  this  exercise. 

Children  should  march  around  the  room 
twice,  then  down  the  centre,  divide  into  two 
lines  at  the  upper  end  of  the  room ;  reds  going 
in  one  direction,  and  blues  in  the  other. 


194 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


The  two  lines,  going  in  opposite  directions, 
march  around  'the  room  twice.  On  the 
second  round  the  lines  meeting  at  the 
upper  end  of  the  room,  fall  into  single  file 
and  march  down  centre  and  around  the  room 
twice.  If  the  reds  and  blues  do  not  alternate 
correctly  it  is  not  difficult  to  find  who  has 
made  the  error. 

Teacher  should  then  give  the  command 
"March  by  twos."  Children  sKould  fall  into 
double  line,  blues  on  one  side  and  reds  on  the 
other,  then  march  around  the  room  twice. 

It  is  necessary  to  give  the  command 
"Halt"  several  times  during  the  marching; 
for  if  the  child  grows  tired,  he  will  drag  his 
feet  and  his  attention  will  weaken, 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  attention;  discipline. 


195 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


COLOR   CIRCLE   THROW 

MATERIAL 

Red,  blue  and  yellow  bean  bags. 

Form  a  circle,  children  standing  a  con- 
siderable distance  apart.  Draw  three  circles 
as  in  diagram;  put  one  bean  bag  in  each 
circle  of  color  called  for. 

Give  each  child  a  bean  bag,  alternating  red, 
blue  and  yellow.  At  a  given  signal  the  game 
should  start,  each  player  throwing  his  bean 
bag  in  turn  and  endeavoring  to  get  it  into 
the  circle  of  corresponding  color.  When  all 
bean  bags  have  been  played,  teacher  should 
count  the  bags  in  the  circle.  The  players 
who  have  thrown  the  greatest  number  of 
bags  of  same  color  as  circle,  win  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Color;  accuracy  of  aim;  motor  force. 


196 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


o 

Red 

o      o 

Blue  Yellow 


X 
X 


19; 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

TOUCH   AND    DIRECTION 

MATERIAL 

Book,  tooth  brush,  bean  bag,  doll,  tin  cup, 
hair  brush,  etc. 

Have  the  children  quietly  seated.  Place 
two  small  tables  before  the  class  ten  feet  dis- 
tance between  the  tables. 

Put  the  above  articles  on  one  table. 

Call  upon  a  child  and  blindfold  him,  lead 
him  to  the  table  on  which  the  articles  are 
laid.  He  should  pick  up  one  article  telling 
the  name  of  it  as  he  does  so.  He  should 
then  carry  it  and  place  it  upon  the  second 
table;  after  which  he  should  return  to  the 
first  table,  pick  up  a  second  article,  and  re- 
peat the  exercise. 

When  one  child  has  carried  the  above  ar- 
ticles from  one  table  to  the  other,  call  upon 
another  child  to  perform. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  touch;  sense  of  direction; 
memory. 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

MEDICINE  BALL  LINE-UP 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Players  should  stand  in  two  lines  facing 
each  other,  eight  feet  between  lines. 

Give  the  ball  to  the  leader  on  line  A  and 
have  him  throw  it  to  leader  on  line  B ;  after 
having  thrown  the  ball,  leader  on  line  A 
should  immediately  run  to  the  end  of  his  line. 
After  having  received  the  ball,  leader  on  line 
B  should  throw  it  back  to  second  player  on 
line  A,  and  leader  on  line  B  should  run  to 
the  end  of  his  line.  The  game  continues  in 
this  way,  each  player  throwing  the  ball  to  the 
opposite  player  and  then  running  to  the  end 
of  his  line. 

Score  must  be  kept  on  botK  sides  to  keep 
count  of  the  number  of  failures  in  catching. 

The  side  Having  the  least  number  of  fail- 
ures wins  the  game. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  competitive  spirit;  train- 
ing eye  and  hand. 

199 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


MUSCULAR  CONTROL 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  half-circle, 
three  feet  distance  between  each  child. 

Raise  arms  to  the  level  of  the  shoulders, 
palms  toward  the  floor.  Raise  heels  from 
the  floor  and  slowly  lower  them  again. 

Arms  should  be  kept  perfectly  straight 
while  this  exercise  is  being  performed. 

Repeat  the  exercise  six  times,  then  the 
arms  may  be  lowered  and  a  short  space  of 
time  allowed  for  rest. 

OBJECT 

Muscular  control;  concentration;  volun- 
tary effort. 


309 


GAMES    FOR     CHILDREN 


COMMAND,  COLOR  AND  CON- 
CENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

Eight  wooden  blocks;  two  blue,  two  red, 
two  yellow,  two  green. 

Call  a  child  from  class  and  give  following 
commands  slowly  and  distinctly. 

Pick  up  one  red  block,  one  green  and  one 
blue. 

Put  down  one  red  and  pick  up  two  yellow 
blocks. 

Put  down  one  yellow  and  pick  up  two  red 
blocks. 

Put  down  one  red,  one  yellow  and  one 
green,  and  pick  up  one  blue. 

Put  down  one  red  and  one  blue  and  pick 
up  two  greens  and  one  yellow. 

Put  down  two  greens,  one  yellow  and  one 
blue  and  go  to  your  seat. 

Absolute  quiet  should  be  maintained  in 
the  schoolroom  during  this  exercise. 

Note. — Color  sense  training  must  be  given 
the  child  before  any  attempt  may  be  made  at 
this  exercise. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

BLOCK  BUILDING  RELAY 

MATERIAL 

Equal  number  of  red  and  blue  wooden 
blocks. 

Draw  diagram  as  below. 

Children  stand  in  two  lines  with  leaders 
on  starting  lines.  Give  each  child  a  block, 
one  line  having  red,  and  one  line  blue. 

At  a  given  signal,  the  leaders  of  each  line 
should  run  and  place  their,  blocks  lengthwise 
on  the  chalk  crosses.  The  leaders  should 
then  each  run  to  the  rear  of  their  lines,  and 
the  two  second  players  should  run  and  place 
their  blocks  crosswise  on  the  first  players' 
blocks;  they  should  then  run  to  the  rear  of 
their  lines,  then  third  players  run  and  place 
blocks ;  the  game  continuing  in  this  way  un- 
til all  the  blocks  are  played,  and  two  struc- 
tures of  crosswise  blocks  are  made,  one  of 
blue  and  one  of  red.  Should  a  player  upset 
the  structure  while  placing  his  block,  he  must 
rebuild  it  again  before  running  to  the  rear 
of  line. 

202 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

The  side  having  its  structure  made,  and  its 
leader  back  on  starting  line  first,  wins. 


Red  Blue 


I 


X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  X 

X  K 

X  X 


OBJECT 

Muscular   control;   concentration;   poise; 
constructive  activity. 

203 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


KNEEL  AND  PRONE 

Chalk  a  straight  line  on  which  children 
will  stand.  There  should  be  two  feet  of  space 
between  each  child. 

Commands  should  be  given  and  carried 
out  with  precision  to  obtain  successful  re- 
sults. 

Children  stand  erect,  with  arms  folded 
across  chest.  Have  children  keep  their 
arms  thus  folded  throughout  the  whole 
exercise. 

1.  "All  kneel." 

2.  "All  lie  flat  on  the  floor,  with   faces 
down." 

3.  "All  kneel." 

4.  "All  stand." 

Teacher  should  allow  a  few  seconds  to 
elapse  between  each  command,  to  eliminate 
confusion. 

When  first  giving  this  exercise,  do  not 
repeat  it  more  than  four  consecutive  times. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  concentration;  voluntary 
effort, 

204 


y 


COMPETITIVE  BOWLING 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMPETITIVE    BOWLING 

MATERIAL 

Four  dozen  blocks,  one  dozen  baseballs; 
colors:  Red,  blue,  yellow,  green. 

Draw  two  chalk  circles,  three  feet  in  dia- 
meter, and  two  starting  lines  opposite  circles 
at  a  distance  of  eighteen  feet. 

Place  two  dozen  blocks  on  end  in  each 
circle. 

Call  upon  two  players,  give  them  each  six 
baseballs. 

.  They  should  bowl  their  balls  one  at  a  time 
endeavoring  to  knock  down  as  many  blocks 
as  possible. 

The  player  knocking  down  the  greater 
number  of  blocks  with  his  six  balls  wins. 

Continue  game  in  this  way. 

Two  children  should  tie  chosen  to  replace 
the  fallen  blocks,  and  two  children  to  return 
the  scattered  balls  to  players. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  natural  activity. 


205 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


HEARING    AND    DIRECTION— II 

MATERIAL 

Four  rubber  balls. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  the  diagram. 

Blindfold  A  and  have  him  take  his  place  in 
the  centre  of  the  diagram.  Give  B,  C,  D  and 
E  each  a  rubber  ball,  and  have  them  stand 
in  their  appointed  places. 

Teacher  should  give  commands  by  gesture. 

Motion  to  B  to  bounce  his  ball,  he  should 
bounce  it  three  times  in  succession;  teacher 
then  asks  A  what  he  heard.  He  should  an- 
swer "I  hear  the  bouncing  of  a  ball/'  Teacher 
then  asks  him  to  point  in  the  direction  from 
which  the  sound  came.  A  should  point  in 
the  direction  of  B  and  say  "The  ball  was 
bounced  in  that  direction." 

Teacher  should  then  have  C,  D  and  E 
bounce  their  balls  in  turn ;  asking  A  the  above 
questions  each  time  as  to  what  he  hears,  and 
whence  came  the  sound. 

This  exercise  should  be  continued  by  call- 
ing upon  five  other  children  to  take  their 
places  on  the  diagram,  the  former  taking 
their  seats. 

206 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


Xc  XB 


J 


XD  XE 


OBJECT 

Hearing;  concentration;  sense   of!  direc- 
tion; independent  thought. 


207 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


WAND    DRILL 

MATERIAL 

Thirty  wooden  wands,  three  feet  in  length ; 
fifteen  should  be  painted  bright  red  and  fif- 
teen bright  blue. 

Line  up  the  children  in  single  file  accord- 
ing to  height.  Give  each  child  a  wand,  al- 
ternating red  and  blue. 

Children  should  march  around  the  room 
twice,  to  simple,  well-accented  music. 

1.  Children  march  down  the  centre  of  the 
room.    The  command  "Halt"  is  given.    All 
come  to  position,  with  feet  together,  heads 
erect,  wands  held  in  a  horizontal  position, 
one  end  in  each  hand,  arms  down  straight. 

2.  The  command  "Face  front"  is  given, 
followed  by  "Call  colors"  at  which  the  child 
at  the  head  of  the  line  calls  red,  the  second 
child  calls  blue,  and  so  they  continue  right 
along  the  line,  calling  in  alternation  red  and 
blue  according  to  the  color  of  the  wand  they 
are  holding. 

3.  "Reds     take     three     steps     forward." 
Teacher  should  count  slowly  and  distinctly, 
"One,  two,  three."  while  those  children  hold- 
ing red  wands  march  forward  three  steps 
to  the  front  of  the  blue  line.   This  is  a  simple 

208 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

method  of  opening  ranks  preparatory  to  drill. 

4.  "Stand  in  position;  wands  to  should- 
ers; up;  to  shoulders;  down/'    (Repeat  four 
times.) 

5.  "Swing  wands  up  as  far  as  the  arms 
can  reach;  holding  the  body  erect;  down  to 
position."     (Repeat  four  times.) 

6.  "Wands  to  shoulders;  up;  rest  wands 
in  the  back  of  neck ;  up ;  to  shoulders ;  wands 
down  to  position."     (Repeat  four  times.) 

7.  "Wands     to     shoulders;     wands     out 
straight  in  front ;  to  shoulders ;  wands  down." 
(Repeat  four  times.) 

8.  "Close  ranks."     To  carry  out  this  com- 
mand, blues  take  three  steps  forward,  bring- 
ing them  to  position  in  a  straight  line  with 
reds.      If  children  have  come  back  to  their 
correct  positions,  red  and  blue  wands  will 
alternate  all  along  the  line. 

9.  "Present  your  wands."    This  command 
should  be  carried  out  by  each  child  holding 
her  wand  in  one  hand  straight  in  front  of 
her  from  which  position  they  should  be  col- 
lected. 

A  final  march  should  close  the  drill. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  discipline;  attention. 
209 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMMAND    AND    CONCENTRATION 

MATERIAL 

Red  ball,  yellow  block,  blue  bean  bag. 

Place  the  above  articles  on  a  table  and  call 
upon  child  to  perform. 

The  teacher  should  give  commands  in  the 
following  order,  speaking  slowly  and  dis- 
tinctly. 

Pick  up  bean  bag  and  hold  it. 

Pick  up  block  and  hold  it. 

Put  down  bean  bag  and  pick  up  ball. 

Put  down  block. 

Pick  up  bean  bag  and  put  down  ball. 

Pick  up  block. 

Put  down  bean  bag  and  block,  and  go  to 
your  seat. 


210 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"MARY'S    LAMB" 

Have  the  children  stand  in  a  semi-circle. 
Choose    two    children;    one   to   represent 
"Mary,"  and  one  to  represent  the  "Lamb." 

"Mary"  should  walk  up  and  down  slowly 
while  the  class  repeats  the  rhyme  and  the 
"Lamb"  should  follow  her  closely  on  all 
fours. 

"Mary  had  a  little  lamb, 

Its  fleece  was  white  as  snow; 

And  everywhere  that  Mary  went, 

The  lamb  was  sure  to  go. 

He  followed  her  to  school  one  day; 

Which  was  against  the  rule; 

It  made  the  children  laugh  and  play, 

To  see  a  lamb  at  school. 

What  makes  the  lamb  love  Mary  so? 

The  eager  children  cry. 

Oh,  Mary  loves  the  lamb,  you  know, 

The  teacher  did  reply. 

And  you  each  gentle  animal 

In  confidence  may  bind; 

And  make  it  follow  at  your  will, 

If  you  are  only  kind." 

OBJECT 

Increase  vocabulary;  stimulate  thought. 

211 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


PICK  UP  AND   RUN 

MATERIAL 

Thirty-two  wooden  blocks,  divided  into  an 
equal  number  of  red,  blue,  yellow  and  green. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Place  one  block  of  color  called  for  in  each 
circle. 

Place  twelve  blocks,  three  of  each  color, 
in  the  circles  beside  starting  lines. 

Call  upon  two  players,  who  take  their 
places  on  the  starting  lines. 

On  given  signal  they  should  each  pick  up 
one  block  and  place  it  in  the  circle  of  corre- 
sponding color,  then  run  back  and  pick  up 
another,  block  and  place  it,  and  so  continue 
until  all  of  the  blocks  have  been  placed  in 
the  circles. 

The  player  having  all  blocks  placed  cor- 
rectly and  back  on  the  starting  line  first, 
wins  the  game. 

A  player  is  not  allowed  to  carry  more  than 
one  block  each  time  she  runs. 

OBJECT 

Color;  concentration;  competitive  spirit. 
212 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


Green 


o  o 

Red  Red 

o     o        o     o 

Blue  Yellow  Blue  Yellow 

o  o 


Green 


O 


O 


213 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


DOUBLE  LINE  FORM  BUILDING 

MATERIAL 

Twenty-four  wooden  blocks,  twelve  red 
and  twelve  blue. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Line  up  children,  according  to  size,  in  two 
lines  of  twelve.  Give  children  each  a  wood- 
en block,  one  line  having  red  and  one  line 
blue. 

Leaders  stand  on  starting  lines. 

At  a  given  signal  leaders  should  run  and 
place  their  blocks  on  end  on  one  of  the 
crosses  in  the  triangle.  They  then  run  to 
the  rear  of  line  and  second  players  should 
run  and  place  their  blocks  in  like  manner. 
The  game  continues  until  all  the  blocks  have 
been  placed,  and  leaders  are  on  starting  lines. 

The  blocks  must  be  placed  upright.  Should 
a  player  knock  another  block  down  while 
placing  his,  he  must  replace  it  before  run- 
ning back  to  his  line.  The  side  having  all 
of  its  blocks  placed  and  its  leader,  back  on 
starting  line  first,  wins  the  game. 

214 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


The  diagram  may  be  varied  by  drawing 
any  simple  geometric  form. 


X  X 

XX  XX 

XX  XX 

XX  XX 

xxxxx  xxxxx 


I  I 


X  X 

X  X 

x  x 

x  x 

x  x 

x  x 


OBJECT 

Form;  spirit  of  competitive  play. 
215 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


BALL  BOUNCING 

MATERIAL 

Rubber  balls. 

Make  a  straight  chalk  line  and  have  chil- 
dren stand  side  by  side. 

Give  each  child  a  rubber  ball. 

1.  Children  must  play  in  turn.  Have  child 
throw  ball  into  the  air  and  catch  it  as  it  re- 
turns.    The  ball  may  be  thrown  about  two 
feet.      Let  this  exercise  be  repeated  many 
times. 

2.  Children  should  stand   in   position   on 
ehalk  line.     Give  each  child  a  rubber  ball. 

Teacher  should  call  upon  the  first  child  to 
bounce  ball  once.  When  the  first  child  has 
bounced  his  ball,  call  upon  the  second  child, 
and  so  continue  along  the  line.  Should  a 


216 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


child  fail  to  catch  the  ball,  do  not  stop  to 
have  the  child  repeat,  but  continue  to  end 
of  line,  and  then  repeat  the  exercise. 

Teacher  should  collect  balls  and  have  chil- 
dren stand  in  half-circle. 

3.  Bounce  one  ball  each  to  children,  giv- 
ing each  their  ball  in  turn  and  bouncing  them 
diagonally.  When  all  balls  have  been  played 
children  should  then  bounce  them  back  to 
teacher,  first  child  leading,  and  each  child 
playing  in  turn. 

Note. — Six  minutes'  free  play  with  the 
balls  may  be  allowed  after  each  of  these  ball- 
bouncing  exercises. 

OBJECT 

Co-ordination ;  concentration ;  train  eye 
and  hand. 


217 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


"LITTLE    BOY    BLUE" 

Choose  three  boys  to  take  the  principal 
parts;  one  should  take  the  part  of  "Little 
Boy  Blue"  and  two  take  the  parts  of  farmers. 

Divide  the  rest  of  the  class,  one  half  to 
represent  cows,  and  the  other  half  sheep. 
These  children  should  go  on  their  hands  and 
knees  in  a  straight  line,  cows  to  the  right  of 
the  line  and  sheep  to  the  left;  the  cows  should 
first  be  taught  to  "moo,  moo"  and  the  sheep 
to  "baa,  baa." 

"Little  Boy  Blue"  carries  a  Horn,  and  pre- 
tends to  be  asleep  some  little  distance  back  of 
the  cows  and  sheep. 

First  farmer  comes  in  at  right,  and  after 
looking  about  in  search  of  "Little  Boy  Blue" 
cries : 

"Little  Boy  Blue,  come  blow  your  horn; 
The  sheep  are  in  the  meadow, 
The  cows  are  in  the  corn." 

Second  farmer  should  then  come  in  at 
left. 

218 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


First  farmer :  "Where  is  the  little  boy;  who 
looks  after  the  sheep  ?" 

Second  farmer :  "He  is  under  the  haystack 
fast  asleep." 

First  farmer:  "Will  you  go  and  wake 
him?" 

Second  farmer:  "No,  not  I,  if  I  do  he'll 
cry." 

First  farmer:  "Then  I  will." 

The  first  farmer  should  then  go  to  "Little 
Boy  Blue"  and  shaking  him,  say  loudly: 

"Little  Boy  Blue,  come  blow  your  horn; 

The  sheep  are  in  the  meadow, 

The  cows  are  in  the  corn." 

"Little  Boy  Blue"  awakens  and  blows  his 
horn  loudly,  at  the  same  time  running  after 
the  cows  and  sheep,  who  crawl  across  the 
room  moo-ing  and  -baa-ing  loudly. 

The  game  thus  comes  to  an  end,  the  cows 
and  sheep  being  rounded  into  one  corner  of 
the  room. 

OBJECT 

Play  spirit;  imaginative  activity;  idea  as- 
sociation. 

219 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COLOR  AND   FORM   PUZZLES— III 

Twelve-inch  pieces  of  thin  wood  forming 
ovals,  squares,  diamonds,  oblongs,  circles; 
and  triangles  of  red,  blue,  yellow,  purple, 
orange,  and  green  color.  Each  form  should 
be  cut  into  five  irregular  pieces. 

Have  the  children  stand  at  a  table.  Give 
to  each  child  fifteen  pieces,  comprising  three 
complete  geometrical  designs  when  correct- 
ly put  together.  Each  of  the  three  forms 
given  to  one  child  should  differ  in  color  and 
shape. 


OBJECT 

Color;  form;  concentration;  constructive 
activity. 


22Q 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


RUN    AND    DODGE 

Children  should  stand  in  a  circle  with 
hands  joined. 

Choose  two  children  for  the  odd  players; 
have  one  on  the  inside  of  the  circle,  and  one 
on  the  outside. 

The  object  of  the  game  is,  for  the  outside 
player  to  catch  the  inside  player. 

No  assistance  may  be  given  to  either  child 
by  the  players  in  the  ring.  The  odd  players 
may  not  run  away  from  the  circle  in  an  ef- 
fort to  chase,  but  they  may  run  and  dodge 
in  and  out  and  through  the  circle,  as  much 
as  they  wish. 

When  the  player  is  caught,  the  two 
players  should  take  their  places  in  the  ring, 
and  two  others  should  be  chosen  for  the 
odd  players. 

Note. — !The  above  game  is  a  simplified 
form  of  "Cat  and  Rat" 

OBJECT 

Play  spirit;  attention;  initiative. 


221 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


HEARING  AND  DIRECTION— III 

MATERIAL 

Rubber  ball,  tin  cup,  marbles,  wand,  three 
feet  in  length,  and  bell. 

Mark  the  floor  according  to  diagram. 

Call  upon  five  children  to  perform. 

Blindfold  A  and  have  him  stand  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  diagram. 

Give  to  B  the  rubber  ball.  Give  C  the 
tin  cup  with  the  marbles  in  it.  Give  to  D 
the  wand  and  to  E  the  bell  and  have  them 
each  stand  in  their  appointed  place. 

Teacher  should  give  commands  to  B,  C,  D 
and  E  by  gesture.  Motion  to  D  to  rap  the 
floor  with  the  wand.  Ask  A  what  sound 
he  heard.  When  he  has  answered  ask 
him  to  point  in  the  direction  from  which  the 
sound  came.  A  should  then  point  in  the 
direction  of  D.  Motion  to  C,  B  and  E  in  turn 
to  make  their  different  noises;  teacher 
asking  A  questions  each  time  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  sound,  and  the  direction  from  whence 
it  came. 

222 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


When  these  children  have  performed,  send 
them  to  their  seats,  and  call  upon  five  others 
to  take  their  places. 


XB  rf  P<*  Xc 


XA 


XD  XE 


OBJECT 

Sense     of     direction;     discrimination     of 
sound;  concentration. 

223 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


HOPPING  RELAY 

Line  up  the  players  in  two  straight  lines, 
according  to  height. 

There  should  be  two  posts,  twelve  feet 
apart;  two  starting  lines  opposite,  eighteen 
feet  from  the  posts. 

Have  the  leaders  stand  on  the  starting 
lines  each  holding  a  flag.  At  a  given  signal 
the  leader  of  each  side  will  hop  to  the  post, 
around  it  and  back  to  the  starting  line.  He 
will  then  give  the  flag  to  the  second  player, 
who  will  immediately  take  his  turn,  the  lead- 
er in  the  meantime  taking  his  place  at 
the  rear  of  the  line. 

The  game  continues  in  this  way,  no  player 
being  allowed  to  start  off  until  he  has  re- 
ceived the  flag,  and  each  player  after  he  has 
taken  his  turn  taking  his  place  at  the  rear  of 
the  line.  ' 

The  side  having  its  leader  back  on  the 
starting  line  with  the  flag  first,  wins  the 
game. 

OBJECT 

Motor  training;  self-control;  stimulate 
natural  activity. 

224 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

. .   "SING  A  SONG  OF  SIXPENCE" 

Teach  the  following  nursery  rhyme,  say- 
ing the  words  slowly  and  distinctly  that  the 
children  may  understand: 

"Sing  a  song  of  sixpence, 
A  pocket  full  of  rye, 
Four  and  twenty  blackbirds, 
Were  baked  in  the  pie. 
When  the  pie  was  opened, 
The  birds  began  to  sing; 
And  wasn't  that  a  pretty  dish, 
To  set  before  the  king? 
"The  king  was  in  the  parlor, 
Counting  out  his  money; 
The  queen  was  in  the  kitchen, 
Eating  bread  and  honey; 
The  maid  was  in  the  garden, 
Hanging  out  the  clothes; 
There  came  a  little  blackbird, 
And  nipped  off  her  nose." 

Have  the  children  stand  and  clap  their 
hands  while  repeating  the  above  rhyme. 

OBJECT 

Memory;  increase  vocabulary. 


225 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


KEENNESS   OF  VISION 

Place  a  small  table  at  one  end  of  the  room. 
On  this  table  put  six  articles;  for  example, 
a  cup,  ball,  hair  brush,  spoon,  book  and  comb. 

Child  should  stand  at  the  other  end  of  the 
room,  and  name  one  by  one  the  different 
articles  on  the  table.  The  child  must  first 
be  taught  to  know  the  name  and  use  of  any 
article  placed  thereon. 

Some  variation  must  be  made  in  the  arti- 
cles each  time  the  exercise  is  used;  also  the 
number  may  be  increased,  as  the  children 
show  improvement. 

OBJECT 

Attention ;  observation. 


226 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


EXERCISE   IN    SIZE 

MATERIAL 

A  number  of  marbles  of  one  color  and  fin- 
ish, of  four  different  sizes;  the  difference  in 
size  should  be  marked. 

Have  children  seated  on  small  chairs  at  a 
kindergarten  table. 

Give  each  child  two  dozen  marbles 
and  have  him  assort  the  different  sizes,  and 
put  them  into  compartment  boxes. 

This  is  an  attractive  as  well  as  instructive 
exercise,  since  children  take  pleasure  in 
handling  marbles, 

OBJECT 

Attention;  size;  co-ordination. 


227 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


COMMAND  AND  COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Two  blue  blocks,  two  yellow  blocks,  one 
green  and  one  red. 

Place  blocks  side  by  side  on  the  table  and 
call  child  to  perform. 

Give  commands  in  the  following  order: 

Pick  up  red  and  green. 

Put  down  red  and  pick  up  two  yellows. 

Put  down  one  yellow  and  pick  up  red  and 
blue. 

Put  down  red  and  pick  up  yellow  and 
blue. 

Put  down  two  yellows  and  green  and 
pick  up  red. 

Put  down  two  blues  and  one  red,  and  go 
to  your  seat. 

Note. — Do  not  attempt  the  exercise  until 
color  sense  is  well  developed. 


228 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


ROLL  CALL 

Have  the  children  seated  in  a  half-circle, 
with  their  arms  folded.  At  a  given  signal 
the  first  child  should  rise,  call  his  name  and 
then  take  his  seat;  the  second  child  does  like- 
wise; the  exercise  continues  in  this  way,  un- 
til every  child  in  the  class  has  risen  in  his 
turn  and  called  his  name. 

Encourage  the  children  to  talk  loudly  and 
as  distinctly  as  possible  when  calling  their 
names. 

Should  a  child  be  unable  to  talk,  he  should 
rise  in  his  turn  and  the  teacher  should  call 
his  name  for  him. 

To  gain  desirable  results  this  exercise 
should  be  carried  out  with  method  and  pre- 
cision. 

OBJECT 

Language;  initiative;  discipline. 


229 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


MARCHING 

Line  up  the  children  in  twos  according  to 
height.  If  each  child  holds  her  partner's 
hand,  she  will  not  so  readily  stray  from  the 
line.  Have  the  children  march  round  the 
room  several  times.  . 

Teacher  clap  hands  in  time  to  the  marching 
and  count  emphatically,  "One,  two;  One, 
two,"  all  the  time  the  exercise  is  in  progress. 
If  convenient  have  a  simple  march  tune 
played  on  the  piano,  but  do  not  omit  count- 
ing and  clapping. 

Children  should  be  continually  reminded 
to  keep  the  body  erect,  also  to  lift  the  feet, 
while  marching. 

OBJECT 

Motor  control;  command;  stimulate  activ- 
ity. 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


BEAN  BAG  CATCH 

MATERIAL 

Ten  bright  colored  bean  bags. 

Children  sit  in  semi-circle  on  small  chairs. 

Teacher  stands  in  front  of  class  and 
throws  bean  bags,  endeavoring  to  put  one 
into  the  hands  of  each  child  as  they  sit  in 
class. 

Throw  the  bags  first  to  a  child  on  one  side 
of  the  class,  then  to  a  child  on  the  other 
side;  the  children  will  become  more  alert 
when  the  bag  is  thrown  unexpectedly. 
When  all  bean  bags  have  been  thrown,  tell 
children  to  throw  them  back  to  the  teacher. 

Choose  two  players  to  pick  up  fallen  »bean 
bags  and  return  them  to  teacher. 

OBJECT 

Concentration;  to  stimulate  play  spirit; 
train  eye  and  hand. 


33? 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


BALL    DRILL 

MATERIAL 

Small  rubber  balls. 

Mark  a  straight  chalk  line  on  the  floor. 

Line  up  the  children  according  to  height, 
and  have  them  stand  on  the  line.  Give  each 
child  a  ball. 

Teacher  should  give  the  following  com- 
mands, carrying  out  the  action  with  the 
words. 

1.  "Stand  with  two  feet  together  on  the 
line;  left  hand  on  hip;  right  hand  grasping 
the  ball.      Children  bounce  their  balls  and 
catch  them  six  times. " 

Teacher  and  children  should  count  audibly 
during  each  movement  of  the  exercise. 

2.  "Left  hand  on  hip ;  throw  the  ball  into 
the  air."  (Repeat  six  times.) 

3.  "Right  hand  on  hip;  bounce  the  ball 
with  the  left  hand/'     (Repeat  six  times.) 

4.  "Right  hand  on  hip ;  throw  the  ball  into 
the  air  with  the  left  hand."      (Repeat  six 
times.) 


232 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 


5.  "Bounce  the  ball  with  the  right  hand 
and  catch  it  with  the  left,  then  bounce  it  with 
the  left  and  catch  it  with  the  right  hand." 
(Repeat  six  times.) 

6.  "Throw  the  ball  into  the  air  with  the 
right  hand,  and  catch  it  with  the  left;  throw 
it  into  the  air  with  the  left  hand  and  catch  it 
with  the  right. "(Repeat  six  times.) 

7.  "Bounce  the  ball  and  clap  once  before 
catching  it."     (Repeat  six  times.) 

8.  "Throw  the  ball  into  the  air,  and  clap 
the  hands  once  before  catching  it."     (Repeat 
six  times.) 

When  the  children  have  become  familiar 
with  the  above  movements,  the  drill  may  be 
carried  out  to  pianoforte  music,  played  to 
slow  waltz  time. 

When  music  is  played,  the  counting  should 
be  omitted. 

OBJECT 

Co-ordination ;  concentration ;  rhythm ; 
motor  force. 


233 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 

COMMAND    AND    COLOR 

MATERIAL 

Four  wooden  blocks,  one  red,  one  blue,  one 
green  and  one  yellow. 

Place  blocks  in  a  row  upon  the  table,  call 
upon  child  to  perform  and  give  commands 
in  the  following  order: 

Pick  up  red. 

Pick  up  blue. 

Put  down  red,  and  pick  up  green. 

Put  down  green,  and  pick  up  yellow  and 
red. 

Put  down  blue,  red,  and  yellow,  and  pick 
up  green. 

Put  down  green,  and  go  to  your  seat. 

Note. — Do  not  attempt  this  exercise  until 
training  has  been  given  the  child  in  color 
sense  development. 

OBJECT 

Concentration ;  memory. 
234 


GAMES    FOR    CHILDREN 

ROLL  BALL 

MATERIAL 

Medicine  ball. 

Have  children  sit  in  semi-circle  on  small 
chairs. 

Mark  two  parallel  lines  on  the  floor 
twelve  feet  apart  and  four  feet  in  length. 

Teacher  stands  on  one  line  and  rolls  the 
ball  slowly  in  the  direction  of  second  line, 
meanwhile  calling  upon  A  to  catch  the  ball 
before  it  can  reach  second  line. 

A  will  leave  seat,  catch  the  ball,  and 
roll  it  back  to  teacher,,  who  will  again  roll 
ball,  calling  upon  B  to  catch  it  before  reach- 
ing second  line. 

As  children  become  more  alert,  the  ball 
may  be  rolled  more  quickly.  Those  chil- 
dren who  can  talk  may  be  allowed  to  roll 
the  ball  and  call  a  child's  name. 

OBJECT 

Attention ;  voluntary  action ;  muscular  con- 
trol. 


235 


GAMES     FOR     CHILDREN 


FIVE  FINGERS 

Have  the  children  sit  in  a  half-circle. 
Teach  the  following  rhyme  and  have  children 
use  the  fingers  of  the  left  hand  to  represent 
each  "little  pig"  as  it  is  mentioned. 

"This  little  pig  went  to  market, 
This  little  pig  stayed  at  home, 
This  little  pig  had  roast  beef, 
This  little  pig  had  none, 
This  little  pig  cried  'Wee,  wee! 
I  can't  find  my  way  home/  3 

Note. — Revised  form  of  Mother  Goose 
"Five  Toes." 

OBJECT 

Attention;  voluntary  action;  muscular 
control. 


236 


INDEX 


Action  Circle  Game,  174 
Action  Song,  76 
Action  Song,   120 

"Baa-Baa  Black  Sheep,"  53 
"Baby  Dolly/'  80 
Ball  Bouncing,  216,  217 
Ball  Drill,  232,  233 
Ball  Leader,  146 
Ball  Scramble,  40 
Ball  Throw,  22 
Ball  Throw,  175 
Baseball  Bowling,  24 
Baseb'all  Pick-Up,   138 
Bean  Bag  Catch,  231 
Bean  Bag  Hop,  192,  193 
Bean  Bag  Pass,  143 
Bean  Bag  Race,   102,   103 
Bean  Bag  Relay,  176,  177 
Bean  Bag  Throw,  34 
Bean  Bag  Throw,   66,    67 
Bean  Bag  Toss,  17 
Bell  Circle,  42 
Bird  Flying  Exercise,  75 
Block    and    Basket    Game, 

124,  125 
Block   Building  Relay,  202, 

203 

Block  Placing,  26 
Block  Race,  128,  129 
Block  Standing,  188,  189 
Block  Structure,   105 
Broad  Jump,  61 
Buttoning  Exercise,  54 

Center  Ball  Catch,  139 
Chair  Race,  50 
Circle  Blind   Man,    51 
Circle  Block   Buildingr,   142 


Circle  Hoop  Game,  83 

Circle  Pick-Up,  94 

Circle  Throw,  107 

Circle  Toss,  178 

Color,  18 

Color    and    Form    Puzzles, 

I,  35 

Color    and    Form    Puzzles, 

II,  84,  85 

Color    and    Form    Puzzles, 

III,  220 

Color  Circle  Throw,  196, 
197 

Color  Exercise,  27 

Color  Observation,  89 

Color  Pick-Up,  169 

Color  Study,  164 

Color  Throw,   181 

Command  and  Color,  228 

Command  and  Color,  234 

Command  and  Concentra- 
tion, 20 

Command  and  Concentra- 
tion, 38 

Command  and  Concentra- 
tion, 106 

Command  and  Concentra- 
tion, 210 

Command  and  Imitation,  29 

Command  and  Observa- 
tion, 60 

Comm'and  Color  and  Con- 
centration, 201 

Competitive  Bowling,  205 

Competitive  Triple  Color, 
172,  173 

Concentration  and  Mem- 
ory, 108 

Crawling  Race,  126 


237 


INDEX 


Days  of  Week  I,  77 
Days  of  Week  II,  78 
Direction  and  Attention,  81 
Direction  and  Command,  55 
Discipline  Exercise,  99 
Double  Line  Form     Build- 
ing, 214,  215 
Double  Line  Hoop     Game, 

116,  117 

Dressing  Exercise,  113 
Drill — Arm    Swinging,     86, 

87 
Drop  The  Bean  Bag,  135 

Exercise  in  Balance,   62 
Exercise  in  Form,  91 
Exercise  in  Size,  227 

Farmyard  Game,  88 
"Five  Fingers,"  236 
Flag  Drill,  110,  111 
Flag  Marching,  46 
Flat  Relay  Race,  72,  73 
Foot  and  Arm  Exercise.  171 
Form  Building,  114,  115 
Form  Marching,  131 
Form  Study   in    Black   and 
White,  190 

Guessing  Game,  39 

Hearing  and  Concentration, 

65 
Hearing    and    Direction    I, 

123 
Hearing  and   Direction  II, 

206,  207 
Hearing  and  Direction  III, 

222,  223 

Hearing  Game,  145 
"Hickory  Dickory  Dock,"  30 
Hide  The  Block,  119 
Hoop  Game,  45 
Hoop  Game,  160,  161 
"Hop,  Hop,  Hop/'  187 


Hopping  Game,  144 
Hopping  Relay,  224 
"Hush-a-Bye,"  68 

"I   Love   Little   Pussy,"  47 
"I  Saw  A  Little  Man,"  130 
Indian    File  Target   Game, 
168 

"Jack  and  Jill,"  90 

Keenness  of  Vision,  226 
Kneel  and  Prone,  204 

Leap  Frog,  100,  101 
Leap  Frog  Race,  152,  153 
"Little   Bo-Peep,"   104 
"Little  Boy  Blue,"  218,  219 
"Little    Drops    of    Water," 

140 

"Little  Jack  Horner,"  63 
"Little  Miss  Muffet,"  112 

Marching,  136,  137 
Marching,  230 
Marching  and  Clapping,  32 
"Mary's  Lamb,'1  211 
Medicine  Ball  Bowling,  132, 

133 

Medicine  Ball  Line-Up,  199 
Medicine.  Ball  Throw,  31 
Memory  and  Color,    141 
Memory  and  Command,  21 
Memory  Test,  157 
"Mistress  Mary,"  70 
Muscular  Control,  200 

Naming  Articles,  52 

"Odd  Man  Out,"  95 
"One,    Two,    Three,    Four, 

Five,"  23 

Outdoor  Observation,  122 
Over  Head  Bean  Bag,  118 
Over  Head  Medicine  Ball, 

183 


238 


INDEX 


Paper  Cutting  I,  154 
Paper  Cutting  II,  155 
Paper  Folding,   156 
Paper  Pick-Up,  41 
"Pat-A-Cake,"  19 
Physical    Questions,    127 
Pick  Up  and  Run,  212,  213 
Pick  Up  Sticks,  182 
Places  Change— I,  97 
Places  Change— II,  98 
"Play  Days,"  57 
Pulling  Exercise,  37 

Rainbow  Circle,  109 
Ring  Toss,  121* 
Roll  Ball,  235 
Roll  Call,  229 
Rolling  Rounders,  28 
Rope  Jumping,  92,  93 
Rough  and  Smooth — I,  184 
Rough  and  Smooth— 11,185 
Rough     and     Smooth — III, 

186 

Rounders,  96 
Run  and  Dodge,  221 
Running  Exercise,  79 

'Schoolroom  Observation,  74 
Sense  of  Direction,  44 
Shoe    Lacing    Exercise,    33 
Sight  Exercise,  49 
Silence  Period,  25 
"Sing     A     Song     Of     Six- 
pence," 225 
Single  File  Marching,  69 


Single    Line    Block    Build- 

ing, 158,  159 
Single    Line    Block   Stand- 

ing, 58 
Single    Line    Hoop    Game, 

71 
Single   Line   Medicine   Ball 

Bowling,  64 
Sit  and  Stand,  43 
"Six  Little  Mice,"  191 
Stone  Pictures,  167 
Study  of  the  Body,  151 

Target  Game,  180 
"The  Clock,"  165 
"The  Robin,"  150 
Three-Legged  Race,  162 
Tiptoe   Exercise,  36 
Touch  and  Direction,  198 
Tri-Color  Game,  148,  149 
"Twinkle,     Twinkle     Little 
82 


Visualization,  56 
Visualization  and  Color,  134 

Walking  Backward,    163 
Walking  Curved    Line,    179 
Walking  Exercise  —  I,    59 
Walking  Exercise—  II,  147 
Wand  Drill,  208,  209 
Wand  Marching,  194,  195 
Water  Carrying,  166 
"What  Do  You  Hear?"  170 
"Who  Is  Missing?"  48 


239 


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U.  C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


